The Female Specimen Enigma
by Katrina Marie Pace
Summary: Sheldon's world turns upside down when a new woman moves into his building and he finds himself oddly attracted to her. When her past comes back at her, he must decide if she's worth keeping. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** I have this posted on another site so I thought I'd share it with you all as well!

**OoOoO**

**The Female Specimen Enigma**

**Chapter 1**

"Oh, good Lord, not again," Doctor Sheldon Cooper said as he entered his apartment building. The lobby was full with boxes and pieces of furniture, which meant one of two things. Either someone was moving out, or someone was moving in. Based on statistics and the moving van that had come and gone a month ago, someone was moving in. "I don't think I can handle this change again," Sheldon moaned to his roommate.

Leonard Hofstadter sighed heavily and hung his head. It was going to be a long evening. He had known there would be someone moving in again, but since he hadn't known which apartment they would be moving in to, he hadn't mentioned it to Sheldon. Also, the taller man was insane and hated change and Leonard hadn't felt like listening to him go on about it. "I'm sure it'll be fine, Sheldon," he said, knowing it would only make things worse.

"You cannot possibly know that!" Sheldon exclaimed. "You don't know who these people are! They might be talkers! I don't like talkers! I like walking up the stairs in silence! What if I see them and they greet me? What should I do? Respond? Then I'll be dragged into a conversation of which I have no interest in, but one which I have the feign interest in so as not to seem rude!"

Leonard rolled his eyes as he picked his way through the boxes to get to their mailbox. "Once again Sheldon, you're overreacting," he said, opening the small box. "You need to calm down." He began leafing through the mail in his hands. When he heard a rustling noise from behind him, he spun around to find Sheldon elbow-deep in one of the boxes. "Sheldon! Not this again! How many times do I have to tell you? You can't just go through people's things!"

"These boxes are in a public area which every tenant is allowed to use and they have been left unattended," Sheldon said. "Ergo they are public property at the moment." Leonard shook his head in disbelief. "Besides, it was already open."

Curiosity getting the better of him, Leonard shuffled to Sheldon's side. "So what did you find?" he asked.

Sheldon shrugged. "Kitchen supplies," he said. "Nothing of too much significance. Bowls, bread pans, spatulas…"

"Um, hello…"

An almost musical voice reached their ears and they turned to see a woman standing on the stairs. She was very tall, almost as tall as Sheldon. She had shoulder length dark red hair which was pulled back into a low ponytail and she was staring at them with questioning green eyes. "Can I help you?"

"Hi, I'm Leonard, this is Sheldon," Leonard said as Sheldon hurriedly put the woman's belongings back into the box. "We live in 4A."

A small smile crossed the woman's face as she descended the rest of the stairs. "Hi, I've been moving all day and haven't actually met anyone from the building," she said, extending her hand. "I was beginning to think I was the only one living here!" Leonard chuckled along with her joke.

"That's statistically impossible," Sheldon said, his hands behind this back, pointedly not taking her offered hand.

Her smile didn't falter. "I have a feeling you're an interesting character," she said, eyeing him with curiosity.

"You have no idea," Leonard muttered to her.

"Well, I'm Evelyn Stark, it's nice to meet you," she said, hugging her arms around herself. "Mind telling me why you were going through my things?" Leonard didn't really have an excuse and didn't know what to say.

Luckily, or unluckily, depending on how you looked at it, Sheldon spoke up. "You left your boxes open and unattended in a public space," he said. "We were simply exercising our right to curiosity." Evelyn's eyebrow rose as he spoke and she slowly nodded.

"Okay, I guess that's fair," she said. "I'll make a mental note not to do it again." Her tone and expression were very serious, but Leonard could sense the teasing in her voice. He smiled to himself as the Sheldon missed it.

"Do you need any help?" he offered quickly. Sheldon rolled his eyes.

"Leonard, a moment," he said, tugging the shorter man away from the beautiful woman. Leonard groaned, but allowed the movement. "What are you doing?"

"I'm being a good neighbor," Leonard said. "She has a lot of boxes and I thought I'd be nice."

"Oh how quickly you have forgotten our previous discussions," Sheldon said, shaking his head with disbelief. "This is Penny and Alicia all over again. Why must we always be forced to follow your penis?"

Leonard threw his hands up in defeat. "So I'm not allowed to be nice to a woman because it means I'm thinking with my penis?" he asked.

"A nice, beautiful, woman," Sheldon corrected. "And of course you are. If it were a man or a weird looking woman with a limp, you wouldn't give either of them a second thought."

"Guys, I can hear you," Evelyn said. They turned to find her grinning, her arms loaded with two boxes. "If you'd like to help, Leonard, I'd appreciate it. If you don't want to help, Sheldon, frankly I could care less."

"I think you mean to say that you could not care less," Sheldon corrected her. "Assuming that you don't care if I help, saying you could care less implies that you do, in fact, care some and it is possible for you to care less than what you care already. If you say that you could not care less, then you're saying that you are currently caring the least amount you could possibly care. So which is it?" He was met with a blank, blinking stare. There was silence for a few minutes. Turning to Leonard, he sighed. "See, it is Penny all over again."

Leonard shook his head at Sheldon and grabbed the nearest box. "Where to?" he asked Evelyn with a smile.

The young woman smiled back. "It's not far," she said, seeming to decide to completely ignore Sheldon for the time being. "I'm in 2B." With a nod Leonard followed her up the stairs, leaving Sheldon alone in the lobby. Looking around awkwardly; he wasn't sure what to do with himself. She hadn't responded to what he had said, so he didn't know if she did care if he helped or if she didn't care.

"It's rude not to answer someone," he mumbled, grabbing one of the smaller boxes and following the two up the stairs.

"So what do you do for a living?" Evelyn asked Leonard as the two ascended the stairs.

"We're physicists at the university," he answered. Normally he would have continued on to explain his research, but he had recently learned that unless someone specifically asked him for more detail, he probably shouldn't continue. Most of the time they didn't care. Penny was the one who was kind enough to point it out to him.

Evelyn nodded approvingly. "Interesting," she said. "I'm assuming you two are geniuses of some kind?"

"You assumption, however premature, is correct," Sheldon spoke up, causing the both to jump slightly. They hadn't realized he was right behind them. "But we are not just geniuses. Leonard and I have a combined IQ of 360. Specifically, my IQ is 187. I won the prestigious Stephenson Award at age 14 and and I received my first PhD when I was 16. So you were right, I'm a genius."

Evelyn raised her eyebrow and nodded once again. She found it interesting that Sheldon had started the topic with him and Leonard and somehow had narrowed down to just talk about himself. "Right," she said as she led them into her apartment. It was a little bit bigger than Penny's apartment, but it had the same layout. Leonard noticed that the kitchen was particularly new looking. There was a double oven that none of the others had and it looked brand new.

"So what do you do, Evelyn?" Leonard asked. He pretty much knew what she did, and so did Sheldon. The taller man opened his mouth to answer Leonard's question, but received an elbow in the ribs instead.

"I run my own baking and pastry making business," Evelyn said proudly. "Right out of my home. I've had to put a little hold on things since I had to move and I would have moved in sooner this month, but I was waiting for my new oven to be installed. It'll be so nice to be all moved in. I miss working."

"That sounds fantastic, and tasty," Leonard said, gently placing the box he was carrying on the small kitchen table. "Any chance we can get a discount on baked goods?" He was only half joking, but he hoped she would say yes.

Evelyn laughed as she placed her boxes on the shiny counter top. "Sure," she said. "Actually, I'm always trying new recipes and could use a couple of taste testers."

"That sounds great!" Leonard exclaimed.

"As long as there are no dairy products, Leonard is lactose intolerant," Sheldon said, putting his small box on the floor. "Any dairy products he consumes gives him gas."

"Damn it, Sheldon!" Leonard sighed.

Sheldon looked confused at his anger. "What?" he asked. "She won't be the one to suffer the after effects of your body being unable to handle dairy."

Evelyn was laughing again. "I'll keep that in mind," she said as she opened a box and began pulling things out.

"I'll go grab some more boxes," Leonard muttered, leaving the apartment. He was sick of Sheldon embarrassing him and decided he needed a small break from his insane friend. Sheldon didn't know whether to follow him or not so he just stood awkwardly in her living room. Evelyn hummed to herself as she began organizing her kitchen ingredients into groups. She looked up when she heard Sheldon give a slight cough. She had almost forgotten he was there.

"While I appreciate your obvious desire to help me," she said sarcastically. "You don't have to stay."

Sheldon looked at her out of the corner of his eye, his hands behind his back. "Sarcasm?" he asked.

"Yes, that was sarcasm."

"Hot damn, I'm getting better at that," he said, turning away to examine the room. Most of her furniture was already laid out, while boxes and random objects were scattered everywhere. "Would you rather I exchange pleasantries or be silent?" he asked after a few minutes of silence.

"You can remain silent?" came the shocked response. Sheldon turned around to find a teasing smile sent his way.

"Your humor astounds me," he said hollowly.

"I was only teasing, Sheldon," she said, still smiling as she began to put away some baking ingredients. "If you would like to talk, then we can. If not, I'm fine with that as well."

"How long have you had your baking business?" Sheldon asked. He wasn't really interested because he didn't really care. He just felt he should be polite. He wandered over into the kitchen area where she had been organizing her ingredients. Shaking his head, he began to re-organize them.

"Almost four years now," Evelyn answered, stepping up on a small stepladder to reach the top shelf of her cabinets. "It's called Pastries by Eve."

"Oh, that's original," Sheldon muttered, moving on to organize her baking supplies.

Evelyn turned towards him, her hand on her hip. "Sorry," she said sarcastically. "But Stark Industries was taken."

Sheldon was shocked by the Iron Man reference and halted his reorganizing. He was about to ask her how she knew about Iron Man when he noticed that the stepladder she was standing on had a wobbly leg, and at the angle she was leaning…

"Evelyn, you should be careful-." But as she spun around to look back at him, the ladder tipped back dangerously and she lost her balance. Sheldon knew he had no upper body strength to speak of, but for some reason he still put his arms out to catch her. She smacked against him with enough force to send them both tumbling to the kitchen floor. Sheldon had to crane his neck to make sure his head didn't smack the ground as he landed on his back; Evelyn was sprawled across his chest.

It hadn't hurt much, but it was the surprise that both made them lay completely still. Sheldon never touched people, and people weren't allowed to really touch him. So it was with surprise that he didn't find himself incredibly angry at the fact that her hands were pressed against his chest and her body was flush against his. Her face was only inches away from his and he could feel her breath ghosting against his lips.

He had never met someone who has smelled as good as she did. She smelled like honey and vanilla, a combination he was starting to find intoxicating. He was completely confused as to what he was feeling.

"Are you okay?" Evelyn asked as she slowly got to her feet, her hand outstretched to help Sheldon.

"You should be more careful next time," Sheldon said, bypassing her hand and standing on his own. He was shaky, but not from the fall. "And get another stepladder."

She opened her mouth to respond but Leonard's laugh reached their ears, followed by the unmistakable laugh of Penny. The two entered carrying a couple of Evelyn's boxes. The young woman rushed to take some of them, seemingly looking for an excuse to step away from Sheldon.

"Evelyn, this is Penny, one of your new neighbors," Leonard explained, curious as to why Sheldon and Evelyn had been standing so close. "She lives in the apartment across from us."

"Hi," Penny said with a large smile. "I saw Leonard attempting to carry some boxes and figured he could use some muscle." While Leonard rolled his eyes and sighed in defeat, Evelyn laughed along with the blonde as the two put their boxes on an empty armchair.

"It's nice to meet you, Penny," Evelyn said. "I'm glad there's another woman around my age here."

"It's nice to meet you too," Penny said. "Well, there is another girl our age who lives in 5B, but she's a skank. Stay away from her."

Evelyn laughed again. "Good to know."

The two began chatting away as Leonard went to fetch more boxes. After awhile they seemed to have forgotten Sheldon was there, and he was starting to grow sick of their high voices. He rubbed his temples, trying to stop the pain he was beginning to feel. "Good Lord, I can already feel a headache coming on," he muttered, shutting his eyes briefly. He hadn't yet forgotten how it had felt to have Evelyn's body pressed right against his and he didn't think he would be able to. He never forgot anything.

**OoOoO**

It had been several weeks since Sheldon and Leonard had met their new neighbor and they hadn't seen her since that day. She and Penny however had been becoming fast friends and the blonde often went downstairs to help the redhead organize her new apartment.

"Penny, organizing?" Sheldon asked every time she said this. He would then give his short chuckle and go back to what he had been working on.

Their friends Howard and Raj were curious about the new neighbor…especially Howard. But Penny refused to introduce them, under the grounds that she wanted to protect Evelyn from Howard for as long as possible.

But she mostly kept to herself, which was something Sheldon was happy about. He certainly didn't want to interact with her after what had happened in her apartment. But he soon forgot this when he and Leonard were coming back from the comic book store one night. They had entered the main lobby when they smelled the most delicious smell that had ever come from their building. It smelled like chocolate heaven and they followed their noses to the second floor, where the smell was coming from.

Evelyn's door was closed, but they knew she was busy baking. Just as they came onto the landing, her door opened and they were assaulted by the smell of chocolate and caramel.

"Oh good, it's you guys," she said smiling. Her hair was up in a messy bun and she wore a red apron. "I thought it was you. I wanted to catch you before you left but I didn't get a chance. I just baked a batch of chocolate cupcakes with caramel and I want you to try them. If you have a second."

"Sorry, but tonight was comic store night," Sheldon said, showing her the bag in his hand. "We have new comic books to read." He had temporarily forgotten their encounter until he saw her. Then all the memories flooded back to him and he found himself anxious to get back to the safety of his apartment.

"But we can stay, if you want us to," Leonard hurriedly added, enjoying the smells coming from her apartment.

Evelyn shook her head. "That's alright," she said. "I don't want to intrude on your night. But here…" She disappeared into her apartment for a minute and returned with several cupcakes on a platter. "Try these when you get a chance and let me know what you think. It's a new recipe I'm working on and I need some feedback."

"Now, when you say feedback," Sheldon said, causing Leonard to look towards the ceiling, silently asking whatever God there was for help. "Do you actually want constructive criticism or would you rather we sugar coat the truth?" He chuckled to himself. "Sugar coat. I'm clever."

"I want your honest, undiluted truth," Evelyn said, causing Leonard to wince as he took the cupcakes from her.

"You're going to regret telling him that," he told her. She grinned back and gave them a small wave as they continued up to their apartment.

"You know," Sheldon said. "It's strange but part of me finds her unpleasant, while another part doesn't."

Leonard felt his eyebrows shoot into his hairline. "Really?" he asked. "That is strange. You don't like anyone."

Sheldon nodded in agreement. "I know," he said. "And do you know what's stranger?"

"What?"

"She wanted my opinion."

Leonard agreed that what Sheldon had said was one of the strangest things he had heard in awhile.

**-****  
****A/N:** Well? Thoughts? Comments? Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Thanks for the feedback! I'm glad people seem to be enjoying my story! Makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside :)

**OoOoO**

**The Female Specimen Enigma**

**Chapter 2**

Penny joined the men in their apartment after they came upstairs. "Oh are those the cupcakes Evelyn was baking?" she asked excitedly as she eyed the plate in Leonard's hand. "I've been smelling them for about an hour or two now and I was just about the break down her door to get one!"

"Statistically speaking it's physically impossible for a woman of your size to break down one of these doors on your own," Sheldon said, placing his shoulder bag on his desk chair.

Penny ignored him and seized one of the cupcakes off the platter. "Are we testing these for her?" she asked, peeling the paper from the chocolate goodie. Leonard nodded as he placed his own bag and the platter on the desk. He took one as well and settled into his armchair.

"She said she wants honest feedback," he told her, taking the wrapping off his cupcake as well. "No beating around the bush."

He and Penny took bites of their cupcakes at the same time. They let out twin moans and relaxed in their seats. "It's like heaven is having a party in my mouth!" Penny exclaimed after she swallowed her first bite.

"This is delicious!" Leonard said in agreement, going in for another bite.

"You are both hopeless," Sheldon said with a disappointed shake of his head. "She said honest feedback. You're not even taking notes!" He pulled a black and white composition notebook out of his desk and settled in his spot with his cupcake on a small plate.

"Sheldon, they are honestly delicious," Penny said, her mouth half filled with chocolate and caramel. "I don't see how she could possibly make them even better!"

"Maybe if she completely coated them in chocolate sauce!" Leonard suggested, his mouth full as well. Penny nodded excitedly in agreement.

Sheldon rolled his eyes and opened his composition book. He had been asked for his honest, undiluted opinion and he was going to give it. Carefully he split the cupcake in half and examined it. The caramel inside was holding together nicely. It began spilling out when he broke the cupcake open, but not fast enough where it got everywhere. The cupcake also didn't crumble when he opened it, a sign that it was nice and moist. He put the cupcake down on the coffee table and quickly scribbled some notes in his notebook.

"Sheldon, just try it!" Penny said, finishing her cupcake. "I'm sure she's only curious on how they taste."

"Not necessarily," Sheldon said with a shake of his head. "She's a baker and pastry chef. I'm sure she does care about presentation. If her pastries don't look appetizing then people won't buy them."

Penny smirked. "From what I saw a few weeks ago, you seemed to be enjoying the look of her pastries," she said giggling. Leonard nearly choked on his last bite of cupcake as he laughed. Sheldon looked confused.

"I haven't seen her pastries," he said baffled. "She didn't have them out what I was around." Penny and Leonard laughed even harder, their faces turning red as they found it difficult to breathe. The fact that Sheldon was becoming more frustrated as they continued only fueled their laughter. "What is so funny?" he asked angrily.

Leonard forced himself to stop laughing. "Penny was using pastries as an innuendo for Evelyn's breasts," he explained, still chuckling a bit.

Sheldon blinked. "Oh," he said. Then he thought it over. "Wait, I wasn't staring at her breasts!"

Penny laughed, reaching for a second cupcake. "Whether you were aware of it or not, you were checking her out," she informed him. "I remember because I almost went into shock."

"Why would I be checking her out?" Sheldon asked. The concept seemed strange and foreign to him. He had never "checked out" a woman before; he saw no reason to. He had no idea what Penny was talking about.

"Um, because she's hot," Penny said. "And you two were standing pretty close together when Leonard and I walked in that day. Plus, she told me how you caught her after she fell."

Leonard looked curious and confused, while Sheldon gave Penny a murderous look for even thinking of bringing up that situation. "What do you mean "caught" her?" he asked. He looked at Sheldon. "You never said anything about this."

"Because there was nothing to say," Sheldon said stiffly, examining his cupcake some more. "She was not smart and climbed up onto a stepladder with a wobbly leg, then turned around too fast and fell into me. That's all."

"She says you held your arms out," Penny added nonchalantly, breaking off a piece of her cupcake while she gave Leonard a knowing smile.

"Reflexes," Sheldon said, making some more notes.

"Sheldon, this is big for you," Leonard said, giving Penny the same smile. "First you purposely stop her from hurting herself, and then you say part of you doesn't find her unpleasant."

It was Leonard's turn to receive a murderous stare from his roommate. He had a feeling he wasn't supposed to tell anyone that, but it was too good an opportunity to pass up, especially when he had heard that Sheldon had actually touched the woman. Penny's eyebrows shot up in surprise and she gave Sheldon another smirk.

"Sheldon," she said in a singy songy voice. "Do you have a crush?"

"No I don't," Sheldon protested, purposely keeping his eyes away from either of them. "She is a neighbor who is not annoying. That is all." He was ending the conversation right there and he purposely took a bite of the cupcake. He chewed thoughtfully, eyes skyward as he processed the taste in his mouth. Penny and Leonard were looking at him expectedly.

Sheldon made a move to make a note, but paused, confused. He chewed a bit more and swallowed the piece of cupcake. Again he tried to make a note, but he didn't seem like he could find the words. "What's the matter?" Leonard asked, digging into his second cupcake.

It took Sheldon a second to answer. "Nothing," he said with confusion.

"Okay, so what do you think she should change?" Penny asked, halfway through her cupcake.

"That's just it," Sheldon said, his voice filled with more confusion. "I can't think of anything for her to change, except the presentation of course. But taste wise…it's fantastic!"

Penny and Leonard looked at each other in shock as Sheldon practically devoured the rest of the cupcake. "Sheldon's got a crush…" Penny sang with a grin.

Leonard joined in. "Sheldon's got a crush…Sheldon's got a crush…" they sang.

Annoyed with their childish antics, and a little confused, Sheldon didn't bother to retaliate. He knew from experience that showing any more protest or anger would only fuel their teasing. Instead he carried his notebook to his computer and began typing up his report, trying to drown out Penny and Leonard's chant.

Eventually they grew bored of the chant and stopped. They devoured the last of the cupcakes and began to theorize what recipe Evelyn would have them try next. Sheldon continued to ignore them and was happy to be sucked into the writing of his report. It was familiar to him; something he could do in his sleep. He had written reports for as long as he could remember and there was nothing like losing yourself in an intellectual paper while the people around you were behaving idiotically. It took him less than an hour to complete the report and he immediately printed it out afterwards. After binding it, he headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Leonard asked.

"I'm delivering my report to Evelyn," Sheldon said. "I see no reason to delay if I've finished it already."

"Aww, you want to see your crush?" Penny said teasingly. Sheldon glared back at her once again.

"Don't forget her plate," Leonard said, motioning to the red kitchen supply on his desk. "I'm sure your girlfriend will want it back."

"I hate you both," Sheldon said as he grabbed the plate. He slammed the door behind him as he left, hoping it would drown out the sound of their laughter. He really did hate being laughed at. As he walked down the stairs and began to get closer to her floor, he noticed a change in his body. His hands were clammy and his breathing was a bit shallower. If he didn't know any better, he would say his body was responding as if he were nervous. But at this thought Sheldon simply laughed to himself. He never got nervous.

When he reached the second floor landing, he stopped himself from taking an involuntary deep breath and for some reason, he hesitated in knocking on her door. He didn't know why he hesitated, which he found curious. He knew he was acting peculiar even by his standards. Standing up straight, he pushed the unpleasant and unwelcome nerves from his thoughts.

Raising his hand, Sheldon knocked three times on the door. "Evelyn?" He knocked three more times. "Evelyn?" Again he knocked three times. "Evelyn?"

The door opened and Evelyn stood there, wearing black leggings and a tank top. It was clear that she had just showered. Her skin smelt like vanilla scented soap and her hair was still wet, her curly locks falling onto her shoulders and leaving small trails of water when they moved. "Hey, Sheldon," she said with a smile. "What can I do for you?"

Sheldon almost didn't hear what she had said. He was fixated on the trails of water on her neck, his eyes involuntarily moving lower before he stopped himself and remembered why he was there. "I brought your plate back," he said, handing her the red disc. He added his printed report on top of it. "And here's my report on the testing of your cupcake."

With a questioning stare she took the report. "You actually typed up a report?" she asked.

Sheldon blinked. "You seemed surprised," he said. "You asked for my undiluted opinion when I tested your recipe. How else was I supposed to present my findings?"

She looked like she was going to say something, but thought better of it. "Thank you," she said. "This will really help." There was an awkward pause. "Would you like to come in for coffee or tea or something? I just baked some muffins. You can have some while I read your report." Every part of Sheldon told him to politely decline and go back upstairs. But for some reason his mouth began to move before his brain could tell it to stop.

"It's probably wise that I be here when you do in case some of the terminology trips you up, or you need me to clarify anything," he said, strolling past her into the apartment. He fought the nagging voices of Penny and Leonard in his head as they sang about him having a crush. He was simply following through with his observations. Looking around the room, he was pleased to see that it was actually tidy and very clean. "Thank God you believe in organization and cleanliness!"

"Of course I do," Evelyn said, closing the door. "I cannot stand to bake with dirty surroundings. Also, when I have clients over for consultations I don't want them to walk into a messy apartment." She began to look through the report as she made her way to the sofa. "Help yourself to the muffins. There's coffee in the pot and hot water in the tea kettle."

Sheldon nodded and turned to the kitchen, which was completely spotless. He opened the cabinet right above the coffee maker and was happy to find the mugs. Where else would they be? He poured himself some hot water from the kettle and grabbed a tea bag from the appropriately labeled jar. Next he grabbed a muffin from the counter. When he looked around the room, he made a noise of annoyance.

Evelyn looked up from the report. "What?" she asked.

"I don't have a spot," Sheldon said. "If I'm going to spend any time here, I need a spot. And there are so many variables to consider-."

"That spot has a glare," Evelyn said pointing to the kitchen chairs. "That armchair is great in the afternoon after the sun has moved. Those stools are okay, but your butt goes numb after awhile. This spot I'm in is mine…" Sheldon was impressed she had considered almost all the variables. "And if you move that armchair a little to the left you won't get a draft." Despite her help, he still went around the room trying out every chair and sitting spot she had.

Eventually he moved the armchair she had mentioned earlier and sank into it. "Oh this is nice," he said with a smile.

"So basically the only problem you had with it was the presentation?" Evelyn eventually asked when she finished reading the report. Sheldon took a sip of his tea and nodded.

"It was tasteful, but not too tasteful. The caramel had a great consistency," Sheldon listed. "The only thing that needed to be changed was the presentation. A little light frosting on the outside would have been nice. Or you could have made caramels swirls. But I'm not a baker or pastry chef and I assumed it was presented the way it was to us because you had just taken them out of the oven and were anxious for feedback."

Evelyn nodded with a smile and began glancing through the report again. Sheldon looked around the room curiously and his eyes zeroed in on the space below her plasma television. "Is that what I think it is?" he asked, his eyes wide with surprise and excitement. He placed his cup on the coffee table (on a coaster of course) and knelt in front of the TV. "Is that the brand new shiny black Xbox 360 with 250GB hard drive?"

"Yeah, I got it the day it came out," Evelyn said proudly, putting the report on the coffee table. "There was a deal at the store I went to. I traded in my old one with one controller, charger, battery pack and game and got the new XBOX for half price! I just had to have it! With all the new hard drive space and built in WiFi! How could I pass that up?"

Sheldon looked at her in awe. "Please tell me you have what I think you have," he said, almost breathlessly.

Evelyn grinned. "Halo 3 and Halo ODST, plus Left 4 Dead 2, and a bunch of others," she said proudly. She got up from the couch and opened the medium sized cabinet next to the television. Sheldon had assumed it held DVDs, but it fact it was filled with games. "Want to play? I'll let you use the shiny, new, black controller…you can actually see yourself in the middle button!"

She handed the controller to Sheldon, who was too in shock to speak. "Oh my," he said, still breathless. He held the controller as if it were a precious vase. "This is one of the happiest moments of my life!" He was about a minute away from agreeing when he looked up into her face. There was something about her that he was finding very attractive. She didn't look any different than any of the girls he had ever met, but as he kept looking at her, things began to stand out.

He noticed how bright and excited her eyes were, and how they were a perfect shade of green. There were no extra colors thrown in there. She had the greenest eyes he had ever seen. He was reminded of lily pads he used to see in ponds when he was younger. Her hair was almost dry now and it was a swirling, curly mass of red. He couldn't help thinking about how soft it looked. He needed to leave and fast.

"I'm sorry, but I can't play games tonight," he said quickly, getting off his knees and handing the controller back to her. "I have some comic books to read and some work to do before tomorrow." He wiped his suddenly sweaty hands on his pants and quickly looked towards the exit.

"Oh," Evelyn said, a bit taken aback by his sudden change. "Okay. Rain check then. I never have anyone to play with."

"Okay, maybe some other time," Sheldon found himself agreeing before he could stop himself. He swore to himself. He really needed to leave. "Thanks for the tea and muffin and I hope the report helps." He grabbed the muffin off the coffee table and made his way to the door.

"I'm free Saturday if you want to come down and play Halo 3 campaign!" she called after him as his hand closed around the doorknob.

Sheldon cursed at himself again for hurriedly nodding. "Okay, sure," he said, halfway into the hallway. The last thing he heard as he closed the door behind himself was her musical voice.

"Great! It's a date!"

Her words didn't register until he was safely back in his room. Oh god! Had he just made a date, with a girl? He had always told himself he would never do such a thing. His work came first; it's all he cared about. He had no interest in getting into a relationship, especially with a woman he didn't know. No woman had ever made him act this way before. Why was she so special? Sheldon didn't know and it angered him. He hated not knowing the answers to questions. He was surprised he hadn't started twitching during his internal thoughts.

With shaking hands Sheldon got ready for bed. He placed the muffin he had taken on his nightstand, too afraid to eat it now. He lay in bed staring at it for hours, trying to make sense of everything that was happening to him. Eventually he fell into a deep sleep.

And for the first time in his life, he dreamt about a woman.

**OoOoO**

**A/N:** I hope you enjoyed it and please, please, please review!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Thanks everyone! I'm glad that you all like the story! Please continue to read and review!

**OoOoO**

**The Female Specimen Enigma**

**Chapter 3**

The second he awoke the next morning, Sheldon knew something was wrong. However, it was several minutes before he was able to figure out what it was. He was had been sleeping soundly, but he had been having a strange dream. Yet he couldn't remember what it had been about. He only knew that it was a dream that hadn't revolved around physics, comic books or Spock.

Sheldon sat up sleepily and then froze in shock. The area below his waist to his upper thigh was wet. That didn't make sense. He hadn't spilled anything on himself; he couldn't, he was sleeping! And he certainly hadn't wet the bed. Sheldon threw back the blanket and stared at his soaked underwear curiously, wondering what on earth had happened.

Maybe he had wet the bed somehow. He did have a large glass of water after fleeing Evelyn's apartment, which is something he didn't normally do before bed. He eased out of bed gingerly, realizing that he felt very gross below the waist. As he carefully peeled off his sticky underwear, he made several observations. For one, if he had wet himself, his underwear wouldn't be as sticky as it was. He was also curious that the substance didn't smell like urine…

Realization struck hard and fast. With a slight yell Sheldon threw his offending underwear across the room and flung himself against the wall. He stared at the bundle of fabric, breathing heavily. He remembered what he had dreamt about.

He had been in his office, working, when Evelyn had come in. He remembered how beautiful and sexy she looked in his dream. She wore a short skirt and tight blouse, two pieces of clothing he never paid attention to before. But on her…

He was stunned when, as he recalled his dream, his limp penis gave a small twitch, something it had never done before.

"What is wrong with me?" he asked himself. He looked at the clock and realized he needed to get ready for work. Grabbing his underwear by the edge, he quickly threw it in his laundry basket and grabbed his robe to go shower. He spent a few more minutes in the shower then he usually would have, scrubbing every inch of his body. He felt dirty and slightly violated. Evelyn had no right to intrude on his dreams, especially with such a provocative outfit.

Sheldon dressed quickly and went into the kitchen for breakfast. Leonard was sitting on the couch, drinking coffee and nibbling on a muffin.

"Where did those come from?" Sheldon asked, pointing to the plate of muffins sitting innocently on the coffee table.

"Evelyn brought them by a few minutes ago," his roommate said. "She has to run some errands all day with Penny and thought we might like some. Isn't it great that she moved in?"

"Yes, wonderful," Sheldon said in a dead pan tone. When Leonard raised an eyebrow, he added. "That was a joke."

"Sheldon, why don't you just admit you have some kind of feelings for her," Leonard said. "It's okay to like a woman. We're actually thrilled you like a woman. It means that you're not a robot and do have some understanding of human feelings."

"No, it means I have access to human feelings," Sheldon corrected, making himself a cup of tea. "It does not mean I understand them."

"So, was that you admitting that you do have feelings for her?" Leonard asked slyly.

"I have admitted no such thing," Sheldon said stiffly, and gave Leonard a look that prompted him to drop the subject. They both had breakfast and headed to work.

Sheldon threw himself into his research as soon as he closed his office door. It felt good to get lost in physics, something he knew inside and out and understood perfectly. The complex equations and mathematics helped ease his troubled mind and took his thoughts off Evelyn for awhile. He was back in a good mood by the time lunch rolled around and he happily went in to the cafeteria to eat. After grabbing a lunch of spaghetti and diet coke, Sheldon took his tray into the sitting area.

Scanning the crowd, he found Leonard, Howard and Raj, but he groaned in dismay. Penny and Evelyn were sitting at the table. Sheldon had no idea why they were there, but part of him was tempted to eat in his office. He was about to sneak away, when Leonard waved him over. "Hey, Sheldon! Over here!" he said smiling.

"Drat, spotted," Sheldon mumbled as he walked over. He took the only empty seat which was in between Leonard and (he was sure it was no coincidence, since he didn't believe in such things) Evelyn. He kept his eyes on his food, sitting on the side of his seat that was closer to Leonard."Any particular reason why we have two women sitting at our table who do not work here?"

Penny smiled and him and shrugged. "Evelyn and I were shopping and thought we'd grab some lunch and say hi," she said. She caught Sheldon's eye and he didn't like the knowing look she gave him.

He remained silent through most of the meal, only answering questions or comments which were specifically addressed to him. Evelyn joined in the conversation occasionally, but mainly she sat back and was silent. Sheldon was curious to know if she was looking at him, but he wasn't going to chance looking at her. Not when those wide green eyes were so near. He was happy she wasn't trying to pull him into a conversation and he was even happier that there was no mention of their agreement to play Halo on Saturday.

He breathed an internal sigh of relief when Penny announced they had to leave, and both women stood. He relaxed in his seat as they began to walk away.

"Oh yeah, Sheldon," Evelyn called back as they were halfway across the lunchroom.

As soon as she said his name Sheldon tensed and felt the blood rush to his face. He closed his eyes briefly before turning to look back at her. She looked just as beautiful as she had in his dream. Her red hair was loose, one side pulled back with a small pin. She wore a leaf green sun dress and simple shoes. "Are we still on for Saturday?" she asked with a hopeful smile.

He could tell all eyes were on him. Usually he liked having attention, but this was definitely not one of those days. He didn't know how to respond. Penny stood behind Evelyn, nodding her head in suggestion to Sheldon, who gulped. "Yes," he found himself saying, everything becoming surreal. Quickly, he came to the conclusion that if this situation was going to happen, then he was going to try and take control of some aspect of it. "I'll be down promptly at 9:30."

"Great," Evelyn said with a smile. She sent him a small wave as she and Penny turned back away and left the lunchroom.

Sheldon made the dreaded turn back to face his friends. Leonard was grinning from ear to ear and had obviously known about the Saturday date. Howard, Raj and most of the other lunchroom were staring at Sheldon with their mouths hanging open in confusion. "Any particular reason why everyone is staring?" Sheldon asked, going back to his food as if nothing out of the ordinary happened.

"Uh, you mean besides the fact that you apparently have a date Saturday night with a hot, redheaded, baker chick?" Howard asked.

Sheldon looked at him. "Yes," he said. "Besides that."

"I knew you liked her!" Leonard said, with pride. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I do not like her," Sheldon said. "I don't dislike her. There's a difference. And it's not really a date. We're just playing Halo. It's not a big deal and it is also none of anyone's business."

"Did she say it was a date?" Raj asked.

"Yes," Sheldon answered.

"Then it's a date," Raj concluded.

Sheldon sighed in exasperation and returned to his food, which was starting to get cold. He had barely eaten any of it since he had been so nervous. Leonard could sense his frustration and took a small amount of pity on him. "Come on guys, let's leave him be," he said. "This is a big accomplishment for Sheldon. We should be supportive."

"Easy for you to say," Howard muttered. "You also have a hot girlfriend. No matter how pathetic my love life is I always knew Sheldon's was worse."

"My love life is non-existent," Sheldon said with confusion. He didn't understand how it could be worse than Howard's.

"Exactly," the engineer said.

Sheldon was finished with his food. It was too cold to consider eating and he wasn't hungry anyway. He could still feel several people watching him, and he knew it was because they were surprised to hear he would be spending time with a woman. He also didn't want to continue listening to Howard, Raj and Leonard teasing him about his…whatever it was.

He got up without a word and threw his food away. Shutting himself in his office, he dove back into his work.

**OoOoO**

"I've decided I'm not going to Evelyn's apartment on Saturday," Sheldon announced to Leonard and Penny as they unpacked their bags of Thai food and settled into their usual seats.

"Oh come on! Why not?" Penny asked, practically whining. "This is the first time that you have a date lined up where you actually know it's a date!" Leonard chuckled while Sheldon rolled his eyes. "And for some odd reason, Evelyn is in to you."

"Now when you say "in to me"," Sheldon asked, taking the lid off his food. "What exactly do you mean?"

Penny sighed heavily. "I mean, for some reason, she's attracted to you and would like to spend time alone with you," she clarified.

"You keep saying "for some reason"," Sheldon pointed out. "Are you implying that you don't think there's anything attractive about me?"

"Sweetie, I think you're adorable," Penny amended. "But then you start talking…"

Leonard cut in before things could take a turn for the worse. "What Penny is trying to say is that the social norm dictates that a very intelligent, single, man should feel very flattered when an attractive, young, successful woman takes a romantic interest in him," he explained.

Sheldon processed this bit of information. It hadn't been something he had considered before. "Really?" he asked. Both of his friends nodded. "Huh…good for me then." He started to eat his food when he realized they were looking at him expectedly. "Oh. I'm still not going."

"Oh come on, Sheldon!" Leonard exclaimed, mirroring Penny's previous reaction. "Why not?"

"Because she makes me feel funny," Sheldon told them. "And I don't like feeling funny. I like have the same feelings I always have. You know I dislike change."

"Those feelings are natural when you like someone," Penny assured him. "Don't you want to explore those feelings further?"

"That's what Evelyn said in my dream," Sheldon said, before he could stop himself. He really needed to get himself checked out. Ever since he met Evelyn he kept blurting things out before thinking. He didn't like it.

"You had a dream about her?" Penny asked with a grin.

"No." Sheldon lied. His face began to twitch, like it always did when he lied.

"How about this, Sheldon," Leonard said. "Why don't you think about Saturday like it's an experiment?"

"How so?"

"Well, part of being a scientist is trying to explain the unknown," Leonard began.

"The whole point of being a scientist is to explain the unknown," Sheldon cut in, taking another bite of his food. "What's your point?"

Leonard sighed and fought the urge to throttle Sheldon. "My point is," he said, treading carefully. "Your date is really an experiment to see how you and Evelyn do, together, during an intimate, social exchange. The date is an experiment to explore these new feelings you have for each other and see where it could possibly lead."

Again Sheldon pondered what Leonard had said. "Huh," he said. He had no idea that's what dates were really about. "Interesting. So you're saying I should go on the date so that I could test the validity and depths of the new found feelings I have for Evelyn."

"Correct," Leonard said, proud of his roommate.

Sheldon looked at him with his wide, curious eyes. "But what if I don't want to?" he asked.

"Remember what Wernher Von Braun said?" Leonard reminded him.

Sheldon sighed. "Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing," he recited. "Damn it. I'll do it."

"Yay!" Penny cheered, clapping.

"But I have no idea how to approach this situation," he said crossly, digging back into his food.

"I can help you!" Penny said. "I love the idea of teaching Sheldon something!"

"No thank you, I'd rather do this without your help," Sheldon told her.

"Aww, are you sure?" Penny asked.

"Given your track record with men, I'd much rather struggle through this alone," Sheldon said, finishing his food. "Lest I make the same horrible mistakes you've made in the past, relationship wise and other."

He missed the murderous look that was sent his way.

**OoOoO**

**A/N: **Okay, so Sheldon has agreed to try this dating thing. PLEASE REVIEW! Feedback is most wanted and appreciated.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Thanks for all the feedback guys :) Here is the next chapter! Enjoy!

**OoOoO**

**The Female Specimen Enigma**

Chapter 4

"I don't think I can go through with this," Sheldon said as he paced around his room, thinking. He had been changing his mind constantly for the past two hours and still had no idea whether or not he really wanted to go play Halo with Evelyn.

"Sheldon, honey, it's alright," Penny told him soothingly. She stopped his pacing and took his hands in her own. "I spoke to Evelyn. She's not expecting this to be anymore than a fun night between new friends. There is no pressure."

"What will I say to her? What will we talk about?" Sheldon asked. "The little research I was able to do on the subject of dating had conflicting information and nothing concrete."

Penny sighed. "I can't believe I'm going to say this," she said. "But just be yourself! Obviously she saw something in your personality she liked…something very, very deep and very, very hidden from the rest of us."

Sheldon shot her a look as he checked himself over in the mirror. Penny had tried to convince him to wear a button up dress shirt instead of his usual short sleeved superhero themed t-shirt over a long sleeved shirt. It hadn't worked. He had chosen one of his black Green Lantern shirts with a solid green shirt underneath.

"And remember what I told you," Penny added.

"Don't insult her intelligence or continually remind her that I am superior in everyway," Sheldon repeated.

Penny nodded proudly and picked a piece of lint off his shirt. She followed him out of his room as he went into the living room. Raj, Howard and Leonard were in there waiting. As Sheldon stepped into the room, Raj snapped a picture of him.

"Our boy's first date," Howard said proudly, hardly containing his grin. "I never thought this day would come! He's growing up so fast!"

Raj leaned over and whispered something into his ear.

"Right, I almost forgot," Howard said. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a condom. Handing it to Sheldon, he looked at him seriously. "I want you to be very careful young man. Respect her wishes. No means no."

Penny gave him a doubtful look. "Yeah right, Howard, like you even know the meaning of the word," she said, crossing her arms.

"I understand the word," Howard informed her. "I just don't choose to listen."

Leonard ignored his friends and handed Sheldon the flowers and chocolates they had picked up earlier. "Here you go, buddy," he said, encouragingly. "Remember, just try to have fun. It's Halo 3 and snacks. It just happens to be with a pretty girl."

Sheldon nodded, his mouth too dry to speak. He took the gifts from Leonard and took a deep breath. "Alright, here I go," he managed, heading towards the door. Just as he turned the knob, he turned back to them. "I'm not going!"

"GO!" they all yelled in frustration."

Sheldon gave them a confused look as he walked out the door. "No need to yell," he mumbled.

It was a long walk down to the second floor. With every step Sheldon's anxiety grew. His hands became sweaty again, his mouth was abnormally dry. He was starting to smell something delicious as he reached the third floor, and he knew Evelyn was baking something for them. He didn't know what it was, but it caused him to hurry his steps so that he could find out. When he reached her door, he adjusted the flowers and chocolates before knocking.

Knock, knock, knock. "Evelyn?" Knock, knock, knock. "Evelyn?" Knock, knock, knock. "Evelyn?"

The door opened and Evelyn stood there smiling. She wore simple jeans and a t-shirt, a good sign she was trying to appear relaxed around him. He was pleased that she chose such an outfit because he didn't think he could have stayed long if she had worn something as provocative as she had in his dream the other night. He was also pleased to see that her t-shirt was in reference to the online Halo videos, Red vs. Blue. It had a picture of a Spartan with the phrase, _Yes, Caboose, I am a gay robot_.

"Hey! Right on time!" Evelyn said, stepping aside. "Come on in!"

Sheldon stepped into her apartment and when she closed the door, he thrust the flowers and chocolates into her hands. "Leonard told me this was the social norm for a first date," he explained as she took the gifts. "But he didn't tell me what to say when I gave them to you so…here you go."

Evelyn gave a small laugh, but looked flattered. "Thank you," she said. "It was very thoughtful of you."

"I put no actual thought into it. I just grabbed what I saw and only because Leonard told me to," Sheldon said. "But as I'm saying this I'm realizing you probably didn't need to hear that."

Evelyn gave a small shake of her head, still smiling. "It's okay, have a seat, there are snacks on the coffee table," she said crossing the room into kitchen.

Sheldon settled into his new spot and gazed at the food laid out. There were standard corn chips and cheese dip, a bowl of popcorn and a plate of homemade oatmeal, chocolate chip cookies. The cookies had been what he smelled from the hallway. "Would you like anything to drink?" Evelyn asked as she selected a glass vase for the flowers.

"Diet coke please, if you have it," Sheldon said, selecting a cookie to try. "And if you don't, I can get some from my apartment."

"It's alright, I have some," she said, arranging the flowers in the vase. "Would you like it in a glass, or would you prefer the can?"

"A glass please, thank you," he said with a smile. "And ice please."

Evelyn nodded and set about getting Sheldon's drink. They fell into uncomfortable silence for a few minutes. Sheldon didn't know how to sit. He tried crossing one leg over the other, he tried sitting still with his hands in his lap, but neither felt comfortable. Eventually he just settled on the edge of the seat, with his back straight, drumming his fingers on the armrest nervously.

"So, I know we said we would play campaign, but if you want to play online, I wouldn't mind," she said, coming into the kitchen with his glass. Their hands brushed as he accepted the glass and Sheldon was curious at the tingle he felt. He mentally filed the information away for his research journal.

"We can do both," Sheldon suggested. "I haven't played the campaign for awhile and would like to. Then if we get bored, we can play online."

Evelyn nodded and handed him the black controller. "I've been waiting all week for this," Sheldon said, smiling as he was able to hold the brand new controller again. "Hello new friend." The young woman chuckled as she got the game ready. "By the way, your cookies could use more chocolate chips and butter," Sheldon added as he sampled another cookie.

"I'll keep that in mind," Evelyn said, grabbing a red controller.

They completely lost themselves in the game after that. For two hours they played through the campaign, before they grew bored and switched to online play. They realized they made a pretty good team. Sheldon would often snipe unsuspecting players while Evelyn's choice of weapon was a shotgun. Several hours into the online play, Sheldon removed the headset from Evelyn and informed her that she lost her headset privileges after she used several choice words for their teammates.

Surprisingly, Sheldon found himself having fun. He didn't even notice that when he took a short bathroom break and came back, he sat next to Evelyn on the couch and not in his new armchair. In between games they chatted about random things. Sheldon explained what his research consisted of and Evelyn politely smiled and nodded as if she understood him.

In turn she explained how she had several new and important clients lined up for the next week and how she was a bit worried about meeting their very short deadlines. Sheldon offered his help if she needed it, mainly out of respect, not general interest. She nicely declined.

It was nearly four in the morning when they finished their last game. It was a particularly brutal one too. They had been tied for first place throughout the whole thing. The other team were just as matched in skills as Evelyn and Sheldon and the two were beginning to get frustrated.

"The one on the left! Get the one on the left!" Evelyn shouted, mashing buttons on her controller.

"I see him! I see him!" Sheldon exclaimed, taking out the guy.

"Two ahead now! One more to win! We can do this!" Evelyn exclaimed.

"Don't get too cocky! Check your right!" Sheldon said back. They both didn't realize that they were no longer sitting in their seats. They stood hunched over the coffee table, leaning as close to the television as they could.

"I got him!" Evelyn yelled as she took the guy out with a shotgun. "Active camo and shotgun for the win!"

She and Sheldon cheered excitedly as they jumped up and down. Tossing the controllers on the couch, they embraced tightly. Sheldon realized it the second it happened and froze. Her body felt deliciously warm against his and his face was buried in her hair. It was just as soft as he had imagined it would be and it seemed like strawberries and vanilla. He didn't understand how she always managed to smell like vanilla, but he wasn't complaining.

When they pulled away their faces were inches apart again.

"Well, I should go, it's late," Sheldon said hurriedly, detangling himself from their impromptu embrace. He missed the disappointment in Evelyn's eyes as he made his way to the door. She followed behind him and there was an awkward pause as he stood in the hallway.

"From what I understand, this is the moment of the quintessential "good night kiss", which is what some people would refer to as the "deal breaker" for a first date," Sheldon said, his hands clasped together nervously. "How should we proceed? I have no experience in this area."

Evelyn smiled and took his hands in her own. "We don't have to kiss if you don't want to," she assured him.

"While I appreciate your sincerity and obvious concern for my comfort," Sheldon said. "Since I decided to go through with this date, I am going to do it properly. That being said, I think it would be best if you led this kiss since I have no knowledge of what to do next."

Evelyn smiled her soft smile that Sheldon was beginning to enjoy and took a step closer to him. She wasn't much shorter than he was and they were able to look into each other's eyes without much straining on her part. He saw her eyes searching his, but he had no idea what she was looking for. She seemed to find it as she leaned in, her eyes fluttering close.

Instinctively, he leaned in as well and closed his eyes. As they both felt the other's lips brush against each other's, they paused for a second, before closing the gap. Their lips met softly and hesitantly. It was a simple pressing of the lips for a few seconds, then Evelyn stepped closer to him and pressed her lips against his more firmly, moving his hands from her own to her waist. She snaked her arms around his neck and pulled him to her, her body flush against his for the third time since they met.

Sheldon paid close attention to how her lips were moving against his and tried to mirror the movements, feeling clumsy and inexperienced. Their mouths were open, but Sheldon kept his tongue firmly in his own, and he was pleased to feel that Evelyn did as well. Something strange was happening while she was kissing him, however.

The tingles he had felt when her fingers had brushed against his were back, this time they were centered in his lips and where her fingers made idle contact with the back of his neck. He found himself growing increasingly excited and, surprisingly, aroused. He had been kissed several times in his life, but never under his own agreement and never producing such interesting results.

He felt her sigh and relax against him, but Sheldon remained tense right up until she pulled away.

They looked at each other, unsure of what to say.

"Conclusion?" Sheldon forced himself to ask. He was confused about the small hint of worry that he felt.

Evelyn smiled and gave him a small peck. "Definitely a second date," she concluded.

"Really?" Sheldon asked. "Hmm…okay. Those tingles were the desired affect then."

"I gave you tingles?" Evelyn asked teasingly, her hands slipping from behind his neck to his shoulders.

Sheldon nodded. "Yes," he said. "And you'll be happy to know that I am aroused. This means there is some physical attraction between the both of us and it would be very interesting and wise to continue this courtship." When he saw Evelyn's surprised face, he wondered what he said wrong. "Did I say something I wasn't supposed to?"

"Um, well, no not exactly," Evelyn said, her cheeks turning red as he continued to stare at her. "You were just a bit straightforward about your, um, arousal, then most men would be."

"Oh," Sheldon said, thinking her words over. "Well, I would think it would be obvious by the increase of my pulse, the dilating of my pupils and my erection that is currently pressing into your thigh."

He had called attention to something she had been politely trying to ignore and she couldn't help the giggling that followed his statement. She was not going to be getting any "beating around the bush" with this man. "Yes, it was obvious, but when it's the first date, most gentlemen won't bring the girl's attention to their arousal and most women would politely ignore it," she explained.

"Well that doesn't seem right," Sheldon said confused. "Wouldn't you want to know if your date was aroused by you? Isn't that the point of starting a relationship? To determine whether or not there is the chance that the person will arouse you enough to consider reproducing with them. People should just save each other some time and just tell each other right then and there."

She grinned at his confusion, finding it cute. "Are you saying you would like to know if I am aroused by you?" she asked coyly.

"Ideally that would help," Sheldon said relieved. "I wouldn't have to guess and I would be able to research accordingly for our next date."

Her musical laugh pleased him more than he thought it would. "Okay, Sheldon," she said, giving him another peck on the lips. "I must say I did find that kiss very arousing."

Sheldon didn't really enjoy that answer. It danced around his question. He took a step back. "That doesn't mean you are aroused by me," he said. "That means what we did was arousing. It could have had nothing to do with who I am."

Evelyn rolled her eyes and pulled him into another deep kiss. When he pulled away, her lips brushed his. "If I didn't find you arousing I wouldn't have done that," she clarified.

Sheldon felt himself smiling before he could stop. "Well alright then," he said. "Shall we set a date and time for our second date now, or shall I wait the appropriate amount of hours to call you before scheduling our next meeting?"

"How about tomorrow night?" Evelyn suggested.

"Oh I can't tomorrow night," Sheldon said. "We're going to the comic book store. It's not comic book store night, but I can't sit back knowing that my friends are at the comic store and I'm not."

"I can go with you," Evelyn suggested. "I love comic books!"

He was confused. That was very much not the answer he had been anticipating. "Oh. Alright then, comic book store it is," he said. He abruptly pulled away, his hands dropping from her waist and her hands leaving his shoulders. He didn't know what to say or do next, so he said the first thing that came to mind.

"Good night."

He took a few steps up the stairs when he had a thought and doubled back. Evelyn was leaning against the door frame, smiling at him. He went back to her, paused for a second, before placing a small peck on her cheek.

Then he raced back up the stairs to his apartment, eager to write down his findings.

**OoOoO**

**A/N:** This chapter was interesting for me to write. It had many different versions, but ultimately I liked the way it came out. Thoughts? Please review! And a big thank you to have reviewed already/are continuing to read.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Thanks for the wonderful responses. I'm so glad the story is well received!

Also, if you look back at chapter 3, I changed the time of their date from 8:30, to 9:30, since Sheldon always does laundry Saturday night promptly at 8:15, and there's no way he would have missed laundry night for a date.

Also, you will be learning more about Evelyn very soon.

Enjoy :)

**OoOoO**

**The Female Specimen Enigma**

**Chapter 5**

When Leonard wandered into the kitchen the next morning, he was not surprised to see Sheldon, already awake, typing away at his computer. He was already showered and dressed and looked as if he had been awake for awhile.

"Hey, Sheldon, what time did you get in last night?" Leonard asked curiously. "I went to bed at midnight and you were still gone."

"I came back at approximately 4:15 am," Sheldon answered, not taking his eyes off the computer screen. His fingers were dancing across the keys wildly. He had been too tired to type everything that had happened the previous night and he was busy filling information in that he hadn't included before.

Leonard's eyebrows were in danger of disappearing into his hair. "Really? Wow! Good for you! So the date went well then?" he asked as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

"It was most informative," Sheldon said looking over at Leonard. "I gathered some very interesting data about Evelyn."

"Really? Like what?" Leonard asked, wandering over to his roommate's desk.

"For one, her chocolate chip, oatmeal cookies could use some work," Sheldon began. "Two, she can handle herself in a Halo match. Three, she must be monitored when using the headset because a few inappropriate words tend to come pouring out if our team does poorly." Leonard chuckled as he sipped his coffee. "Four she has a general idea about the appropriate amount of snack foods to put out when company is coming over. Five-."

"Excuse me," Leonard cut in. "How many points are there?"

"Just the five," Sheldon said. "And don't interrupt."

"I'm sorry," Leonard said. "Continue."

Sheldon sighed. "And five…" he said. "She makes me tingle."

The look Sheldon received from his roommate was a look of surprise mixed with compassion. "Aww, that's sweet," he said. He was very happy for his roommate. "Good for you, Sheldon." He paused, thinking over his friend's words. "Now when you say tingle…"

"I mean that when I touch her it feels like electricity is running through my whole body," Sheldon clarified. "Well, more than the usual amount."

"Wait, touch her? You've touched her?" Sheldon asked. "When did you touch her? Besides the time you caught her?"

"Last night," Sheldon said. At Leonard's amazed look, he clarified. "When she handed me a glass of diet coke our hands touched."

"Oh," Leonard said.

"And when we had our good night kiss," Sheldon mumbled, staring back at his computer screen and continuing to type.

"Oh?" Leonard asked grinning, his tone changing from disappointed to interested in less than a second. "You had a kiss? How was it?"

"It aroused me," Sheldon informed him, not taking his eyes off the screen in front of him.

"Okay, Sheldon, that's a little too much information," Leonard said, deciding to back off on the topic. He shuffled over to his laptop. "But I'm glad you had fun. So are you going to see her again?"

He was surprised when the man nodded. "Oh yes," he said. "We both agreed that the good night kiss was very successful in establishing our physical attraction for one another and we would be foolish to not continue the experiment…I mean, dating."

"Well, remember what I said about waiting the appropriate amount of time to call her," Leonard said, checking his e-mail.

"No need," Sheldon informed him. "She's coming with us to the comic book store. Apparently she loves comics."

"Wait a second," Leonard said, placing his coffee mug on his desk and turning to Sheldon. "You mean to tell me that you've managed to find a girl who is attracted to you, is incredibly hot, can play Halo, can bake anything you want and likes comic books?"

Sheldon thought over what he said with a nod. "Normally this is reserved for my classic practical jokes, but I feel in this context it fits," he said looking at Leonard. "Bazinga!"

Leonard laughed. "What are the odds that two guys like us would end up dating two beautiful girls like Penny and Evelyn?" he asked.

Sheldon looked at him again. "Is that rhetorical or would you like to do the math?" he asked.

"It's rhetorical, Sheldon," Leonard informed him with a shake of his head.

"Well, still," Sheldon said. "The odds are not in our favor."

There was a gentle knock on the door, to which Leonard replied. "Come in! Please come in!"

The door opened and Sheldon was pleased to see it was Evelyn, holding a tin foil covered cookie sheet. "Morning, boys," she said as she walked into the room and closed the door behind her. "I hope you haven't eaten breakfast already. I brought biscuits! They're not baked yet, I need to throw them in the oven, but I figured we can have them with some bacon and eggs."

"What kind of biscuits?" Sheldon asked, getting up from his desk.

"Just your typical, breakfast biscuits," Evelyn said smiling at him as they met in the middle of the room. She seemed to be waiting expectedly. Sheldon didn't know what she was waiting for. He knew it must be something he had to do, but he didn't know what. So he looked to Leonard for help. Leonard nodded his head towards Evelyn and pointed to his mouth.

"Oh, sorry," Sheldon said, understanding as he looked back at Evelyn. "I'm not familiar with the greeting customs of people who are in a relationship." He leaned forward and gave Evelyn a small peck on the lips.

To his delight she smiled when he pulled away. "It's alright," she said, walking past him towards the kitchen.

"Another question," Sheldon said following her. "Should I change my Facebook relationship status now? Or is it too soon?"

Evelyn laughed her special laugh as she placed her cookie sheet on the counter. "If you would like to, I would not object," she said, removing the tin foil. "But most people wait until they've had a couple of dates."

"Hmm," Sheldon contemplated. "I'll change it tonight after the comic book store. It would be our second date, so that would qualify as us having "a couple" of dates." He turned around to go back to his computer, when he caught Leonard looking at him with a large smile. "What?"

"Nothing," Leonard said with a shrug as he took a sip of his coffee. "You two are very cute together."

"Thanks, Leonard," Evelyn said, turning the oven on. "Do you want to help me make breakfast, Sheldon?"

Sheldon looked between his computer and Evelyn. He knew he really didn't want to help, but he caught Leonard's eye and received a nod. "Alright," he said, closing his laptop screen and standing once more. "I'll start the bacon."

"And I'll get Penny," Leonard said heading toward the door. Sheldon turned the stove on and placed a frying pan on top of the burner. "She'll want to see this."

As soon as he left, Evelyn turned to Sheldon and took the front of his shirt. Pulling him against her, she gave him a deep kiss, sending tingles through him once more. Again her tongue remained in her own mouth, but it was still an intoxicating kiss that made Sheldon feel as if the temperature in the room had risen several degrees. This of course was not possible due to the roommate agreement. When she pulled away, she smiled.

"Is that the standard protocol when a couple is left alone?" Sheldon asked.

Evelyn shrugged. "Sometimes," she said. "If one or both of the people in the relationship really missed the other."

"Oh," Sheldon said as she turned away from him to pull eggs out of the refrigerator. He thought about the feelings he had throughout the morning and whether or not missing her was one of them. He had concluded earlier that he very much enjoyed the smell of her hair and her soft skin. He had enjoyed the kiss they had shared when they had departed. Part of him had wished he would see her sooner than the comic book store, so he supposed that was indeed missing her.

When she turned back towards the counter, Sheldon caught her lips in an impromptu kiss, which seemed to take her by surprise. She carefully extended her arm so she could place the egg carton safely on the counter, before she placed her hands on his shoulders and kissed him back. When he pulled away, her eyes were wide and full of questions.

"I missed you too," Sheldon said simply, before turning to the frying pan he had been heating up.

He missed her smile as he grabbed some bacon from the fridge and opened the package. The silence between them was no longer uncomfortable like it had been the previous night. They were slowly getting used to each other's company and now that they knew there was something between them, it helped them relax. Well, it helped Evelyn relax. Sheldon was hardly ever relaxed.

They were nearly done cooking when Leonard returned with Penny. Evelyn was just removing the biscuits from the oven and Sheldon was busy sliding the last of the bacon onto a full platter. They both didn't notice the two enter and were busy conversing about their recent Halo victory. They didn't even notice that they were cooking the scrambled eggs together and were somehow moving around the kitchen in unison.

"Aww, they're so cute," Penny said, causing the two to jump.

"Jesus! You scared me!" Evelyn exclaimed, putting a hand over her heart. "Don't do that!"

"We didn't do anything," Penny said with a grin. "You were just too busy to notice us." She received a look from Evelyn, who turned back to the scrambled eggs on the stove, while Sheldon gathered some plates and forks.

Sheldon had to admit that breakfast was delicious. Of course the bacon was cooked to perfection, because he made it, but the biscuits were great as well. He made sure to complement Evelyn on her cooking, since he had read online that the male should complement the female as much as he could. She sat next to him on the couch, but not close enough to make him feel uncomfortable.

After they ate, Leonard left to shower and dress, while Penny left to go to work. That left Evelyn and Sheldon alone once again.

"Any big plans today?" Evelyn asked as Sheldon turned on the television.

"There's an all day, Battlestar Galactica marathon on the SyFy channel." Sheldon said excitedly. He was going to leave it at that, but he recalled the research he had conducted and knew he should invite her to join him. "Would you like to watch it with me?"

"I've never watched Battlestar Galactica before," Evelyn said. "I'll watch it, but I'm probably going to be lost."

"There's no need to worry, they're starting with the first season," Sheldon said smiling. "I'm surprised you're willing to watch it. Penny mostly refuses to watch it with Leonard, and when she does watch it she falls asleep or starts texting throughout the whole thing."

Evelyn chuckled. "Well, I have nothing against the show," she said looking at him. "And if you want to watch it, then I will watch it with you."

"Interesting," Sheldon said looking back at her. "So you're saying that if there's something I would like to watch, you will watch it with me even if you have no interest in it."

"I'm saying I'm willing to try things you like at least once," Evelyn responded. "An act that should be reciprocated if the occasion should arise and our roles are reversed."

"Huh," he said turning back to face the screen. "Noted."

After watching the show for a bit, he noticed she had relaxed against the sofa and was now leaning a little closer to him. He recalled this exact situation from numerous movies and television shows he had seen and he slowly lifted his arm from his side and awkwardly tried to put it around her. He was having difficulty knowing where and how to position his arm, but Evelyn simply took his hand and led his arm around her shoulders, while she continued watching the television screen.

**OoOoO**

"I can't believe we're walking into the comic book store with another beautiful woman," Howard said excitedly as the group approached the store. Raj quickly whispered in his ear. "I know, they are definitely going to be jealous of us."

They walked into the store and just as they suspected, all heads turned to watch Evelyn. The redhead stuck close to Sheldon's side as she stared around uncomfortably. "See this is why I order my comic books offline," she said to him as they made their way over to one of the many shelves.

Leonard chuckled. "It's like I told Penny," he said. "They are more afraid of you then you are of them."

"Doubt it," Evelyn said.

"Hey guys, looking for anything special?" their friend Stuart asked as he wandered over to them. He spotted Evelyn and froze in shock, before introducing himself. "Hi, I don't think we met before. I'm Stuart."

"Stuart this is Evelyn," Sheldon said. "She just moved into our building a few weeks ago. We are in a relationship."

Stuart looked like he didn't understand what Sheldon had just said. "What?" he asked, blinking rapidly.

"I said, "we are in a relationship"," Sheldon repeated. "I don't understand how I could have made that much clearer."

"I think he's just stunned like the rest of us were when you told us you were dating someone," Howard spoke up as he leafed through several comics.

"I can see why you would be confused," Sheldon admitted. "Your momentary memory lapse is forgiven." He saw Evelyn throw something away and extend her hand towards him for him to take. "What did you just throw away?"

"An antibacterial wipe," she said. "You said you hated germs and people who don't wash their hands. I want to hold your hand."

Sheldon smiled. "This is going to work out very well," he said, taking her hand and leading her to where the new Green Lantern comics were on display.

Stuart turned to Howard, Raj and Leonard. "Seriously?" he asked, motioning to them.

"Believe it or not, yes," Leonard said nodding as he looked through a stack of comics. "They spent over six hours playing Halo together last night. He says she makes him tingle."

"I miss tingling," Raj said with a sad sigh.

"I don't get it," Stuart said with a shake of his head. He marched back over to the register, mumbling something about the world not being fair.

"So how long do you think it will take before Evelyn realizes she has no chance of a physical relationship with Sheldon?" Howard asked Leonard, leaning closer to him so others wouldn't hear. "I want to know how long I have until I can pull the "he wasn't good enough for you" card."

"You're sick," Leonard told him. "And I don't think we can rule out them not having a physical relationship. They actually kissed last night."

"Really?" Raj asked in surprise.

"And Sheldon knew what was happening and followed through with it?" Howard asked.

Leonard nodded with a small smile. "He's really making progress," he said. "He even gave her a compliment."

"The world as we know it is ending," Howard said bitterly, stalking off to look at another shelf.

Sheldon found he had another pleasant time with Evelyn. He also realized that he had spent the whole day with her and hadn't gotten tired of her once. She had actually enjoyed Battlestar Galactica and he had watch with happiness as she grew very excited when she found the Iron Man comic she was looking for. He barely released her hand the entire time they had been out together.

It was with a smile that he said goodnight to her as they passed her floor, before giving her a short kiss. The others were watching and he didn't feel comfortable with PDA.

When they got back to the apartment, Sheldon immediately went on his computer and pulled up his Facebook. The second date was successful and it was with confidence that Sheldon changed his relationship status. A few minutes later, she accepted the change.

Within seconds of this, the phone rang.

Leonard answered it. "Hello?" he asked. There was a pause. "Hi Mrs. Cooper. Yes, he's right here." Sheldon spun around in his chair. How did she know? "Just a second," Leonard said, before he removed the phone from his ear. He extended it to Sheldon.

"It's your mother."

**OoOoO**

**A/N:** Hope you enjoyed the latest chapter! Please review!


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** I managed to write this on WordPad, so if I missed some misspelled words, I'll fix them tomorrow when I'm at work! Enjoy! 

**OoOoO**

**The Female Specimen Enigma****  
****Chapter 6**

Sheldon took the phone from Leonard. "Hi, Mom," he said, wondering how she could have known to call at that exact moment. He didn't believe in coincidences. He was sure his mother knew exactly what was going on. He wanted to know how she knew.

"Shelly," Mary Cooper said. "What's this about you having a girlfriend? I was just on the phone with Missy and she said something about your Face-thingy saying you had a girlfriend."

Missy! He should have known his twin was behind this! He should have never accepted her friend request! He made a mental note to remove her as soon as possible. "Well, Mom," he said. "I met a girl. We have been on two dates, so from what I understand we are a couple now."

"You met a girl?" his mother asked with as much surprise as everyone else had been showing. "Where did you meet this girl? Who is she? I want to know the name of the girl who may finally give me grandchildren."

"Mom, it is much too early in this relationship to even consider the possibility of marriage and children," Sheldon informed her, noting how excited she sounded. "But her name is Evelyn. She lives in our building."

"Evelyn is a pretty name," Mrs. Copper said. "What does she do for a living?"

"She runs her own pastry and baking business right out of her apartment," Sheldon told her. "She's had it for several years. It's called Pastries by Eve."

"A girl who can work from home and still support herself," his mother said, clearly impressed. "When will I get to meet this Evelyn?"

"From what I understand the people in a relationship need to go on several more dates before they are comfortable enough with meeting each other's families," Sheldon said. "I will call you when that time comes."

"Shelly, if I want to meet this girl, I want to do it soon," his mother said, her voice clearly in scolding mode. "I need to size her up and see if she's good enough to date my son. I may be happy you're finally taking an interest in women, but I'm not just gonna accept this girl without meeting her for myself. You understand?"

Sheldon said. "Yes, Mom," he said. He could never argue with his mother. She had raised him and she always knew what was best for him. She was also very stubborn.

"Well, alright then," Mrs. Cooper said. "Now I'm busy running a church fundraiser this weekend, but next weekend I'm coming to visit, understand?"

"Yes, Mom," Sheldon repeated.

"Okay," his mother said with a tone of finality. "I've got to go. I love you. See you next weekend."

"I love you too, Mom," Sheldon said. "Good bye." He hung up the phone and turned to face his friends.

"How did she know so fast?" Raj asked as he and Howard flipped through their new comic books.

"Apparently accepting my sister's friend request was a terrible idea," Sheldon said, looking at Leonard accusingly. He had been the one who had convinced Sheldon to do it.

"How was I supposed to know she would call your mother every time you posted something?" Leonard asked.

"Because I specifically said, "Missy will call my mother every time I post something"," Sheldon said angrily.

To his dismay, Leonard laughed. "I know," he said. "I still find it funny." Sheldon was not impressed when Raj and Howard joined in on the laughter.

"So, Sheldon, I have a question," Howard said as the tall man put the phone back on the charger and took a seat in his spot. "How far are you willing to go with Evelyn?"

"Howard," Leonard said, ready to tell him off.

"I'm just curious," Howard said back, holding his hands up in surrender.

"I don't understand the question," Sheldon said with a frown.

"I mean, the next time you two have a date, it will be the third one," Howard went on. "And we all know what happens on the third date."

Leonard and Raj knew what Howard was getting at, and they became just as curious as he was. They looked at Sheldon expectedly, wanting to know his answer. Sheldon had no clue what Howard was talking about and he didn't like the curious looks he other two friends were giving him.

"I don't follow," he said. "Clarify. What happens on the third date?"

Howard looked frustrated that Sheldon didn't know what he was talking about. "You know..." he said. The third date is when things get...physical."

"I still don't follow," Sheldon said.

"Sheldon," Leonard said. "He means the third date is usually when it's safe for couples to engage in...physical acts..."

"Such as?" Sheldon asked. It was clear he still wasn't getting what they were trying to explain.

"Spill it man! Are you going to sleep with her or not?" Raj asked in frustration. Leonard and Howard shook their heads at him in disbelief. Raj returned their looks with one of his own. "Oh like your approach was working so well!" he said.

"Oh, you were referring to coitus?" Sheldon asked. He received several nods. "I hadn't actually thought about it."

"What do you mean you haven't thought about it?" Howard exclaimed. "Have you seen your girlfriend? She's hot! I've thought about it!"

"I've thought about it too," Raj said with a nod.

"I don't think I feel comfortable with the idea of you thinking about my girlfriend in that way," Sheldon said. "I'm not even comfortable thinking about her in that way."

"Why not, Sheldon?" Leonard said. "You enjoy masturbating so much, imagine adding another person."

"I don't enjoy it," Sheldon clarified, his ears turning a bit red. "It's a necessary part of human life."

"Leonard is right, sex is amazing," Howard assured him. "Especially when your girlfriend is smoking hot!" Apparently he felt the need to continually remind Sheldon about Evelyn's attractiveness.

"I really don't feel comfortable talking about this," Sheldon said getting up from the couch.

"Aww come on, where are you going?" Leonard asked as his roommate walked out of the living room.

"To my room," he snapped. "No one's allowed in!"

He slammed his bedroom door behind him and locked it. He collapsed onto his bed with a heavy sigh. He had known there were be a point where he and Evelyn would have to discuss their physical relationship. He just hadn't realized it would have to be so soon. He planned to see her the following evening, and he really didn't think he was ready for such a step.

He wasn't even very used to kissing her or simply touching her. He had never seen a woman naked...at least one that wasn't in a video or anatomy book. He had no idea what to do once they were both naked, except of course what he had seen in videos. But he couldn't be sure those were accurate or applied to every woman.

No, the only thing he could do was simply speak to Evelyn. While part of him would be embarrassed, it would be worth it to not feel so lost and confused.

"Drat," he muttered to himself as he got up from his bed. She said she would be baking all night; he would just have to go down and talk to her.

His mind made up, he left his room. He walked through the living room, ignoring his friends.

"Sheldon, where are you going?" Leonard asked as the man reached the front door.

"To talk to Evelyn," he said. He closed the door behind him, but not before hearing Howard's voice.

"Looks like I get to use that card after all," it said.

Sheldon marched to Evelyn's apartment with purpose. He knocked on the door in his typical fashion and waited for her to answer. As he heard her footsteps he nervously straightened his t-shirt and hair. He scowled at his sudden interest in his appearance.

When Evelyn opened the door, Sheldon smelled butterscotch frosting and vanilla cake at the same time. "Hey, you," she said with a smile. "What's up?"

"Oh the sky, airplanes, birds, our solar system..." Sheldon began to list. When he saw Evelyn's face he digressed. "I'm fine. Can I come in? I would like to speak with you."

"Sure," said Evelyn, her face looking a little worried. She stepped aside and allowed him into the room, closing the door behind him. "What's on your mind?"

"I would like to discuss us having sexual intercourse," Sheldon said, his hands clasped behind his back.

Evelyn's eyes shot into her hairline and her mouth dropped open in surprise. "Excuse me?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"No need to take a defensive stance," Sheldon said, noting her posture. "It's a valid discussion."

"Enlighten me," she said, crossing the room and passing Sheldon. He watched her walk into the kitchen, his eyes trained on her swaying hips before he shook his head slightly.

"I've been informed that on the third date most couples engage in intercourse," Sheldon said, following her. "Since our third date is coming up soon, I was wondering if you plan to follow this rule."

Understanding flashed across her face as she picked up a spoon and began stirring the contents in the bowl that had been resting on the counter. "Were you talking to the guys about this?" she asked, her eyebrow raised questioningly.

Sheldon nodded. "They were the ones who brought it to my attention," he said.

"I'm sure they did," Evelyn muttered under her breath. She let the spoon go and extended her hands towards Sheldon. He placed his hands in hers as her green eyes met his blue ones. "I am not going to pressure you into having sex because of some stupid, unofficial rule," she said, giving his hands a small squeeze before letting them go.

"So it's not written down somewhere that the third date must involve coitus?" Sheldon asked confused. They had been so sure of it, he had just assumed it was an official rule that it had been written down somewhere he hadn't seen. "They were so sure of it."

Evelyn smiled softly and shook her head. Sheldon was curious. "Why are you so ready to give up intercourse?" he asked. "Do you not like it?"

"The main reason isn't that I don't like it," she said, pouring the butterscotch icing she had been mixing into an icing bag. "I haven't had very good experience with men. I don't mind taking things slow."

Her reasoning was understandable, mainly because it favored his approach. He realized he didn't know anything about her romantic past and seeing as they were an official couple, he probably should. "By saying you haven't had good experience with men, what do you mean exactly?" he asked curiously. He noticed she was going to put the bowl and spoon into the sink and stopped her. "Can I lick the bowl and spoon?"

Evelyn smiled and handed the kitchen supplies to him while she checked on the cake baking in her oven. "My last relationship was my first serious one and it was terrible," she said as Sheldon happily licked the icing off the spoon. The physicists noted the change in her facial expression and tone of her voice. She was sad and guarded. "I had dated a couple of guys before Ken, but nothing serious. I rushed into sex with Ken and fell in love too soon...well, what I thought was love. It didn't end well."

He could tell she was dancing around the actual events and he wasn't sure if he wanted to know or not. He knew from being around his mother and sister, one couldn't rush a woman to speak about things they didn't have interest in sharing. But he also didn't know what to say to her.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know what to say," he admitted.

Evelyn sighed, the sadness still apparent across her face. "It's alright, Sheldon," she said. "You don't have to say anything." She seemed to try and collect herself. "Was there anything else about intercourse you wanted to discuss?"

"Yes," he said, using the spoon to scoop up more frosting. "But under the circumstances I no longer feel it is an appropriate topic at the moment."

"I'm fine, honest," she said, slipping on oven mitts and removing a circular cake from the oven. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Just a standard question," Sheldon said, licking the frosting off the spoon again. "What do you like done during intercourse? I would like to do some research before we decide to engage in coitus. I don't enjoy being totally without knowledge."

Evelyn smirked. "Well what you're doing to that spoon would do the trick," she said teasingly.

Sheldon caught himself mid-lick. Lewd images suddenly popped into his head and he suddenly lost interest in the spoon. He was much more interested in the woman in front of him, yet they had just agreed to take things slow. "Drat my hormones and your suggestive attitudes," he said putting the spoon back in the bowl and pushing the two away.

Her musical laugh made his heart skip a beat like it always did as she took the bowl and placed it in the sink. "Sheldon," she said. "You don't need to do research for sex with me. It's never been that enjoyable for me, so I don't really know what I like. We're just going to have to wing it when the time comes."

"How can you not be sure about what you like?" Sheldon asked curiously.

"Because sex was never about my pleasure," Evelyn said.

He saw the sadness in her face once more and it made him feel a small amount of pity and anger. Something he wasn't used to feeling for another human being unless they were dumber than he was or were purposely trying to hurt him.

"Well then," Sheldon said, joining her by the sink. "I can assure you that when we do engage in intercourse I will make sure you are completely satisfied."

He saw a new look in her eyes. Her cheeks were flush and her pupils were beginning to dilate. Also the look she was giving him was full of want. "Drat my hormones and your suggestions," she said with a breathless smile.

"Now I know you're aroused," Sheldon said, gulping slightly as she took step closer to him.

Her arms snaked around him and there was no mistaking what she wanted from him. He wrapped his arms around her and bent his head to kiss her. It wasn't a simple kiss like the others had been. It was hungry and wanting and her fingers were soon tangled in his hair, keeping his head in place.

Sheldon had never been kissed this way before. Their mouths were open and her tongue was suddenly dancing with his. He thought he would feel disgusted having someone else's tongue in his mouth, but he found that she tasted wonderful. The tingles had returned, but much fiercer than they had been before. They spread throughout his whole body and reached his penis, which had been motionless before.

It began pressing persistently against the fabric of his briefs, which he now found very constricting.

When they pulled away, Sheldon found himself struggling for air, his head spinning. "Would this still constitute as taking things slow?" he asked.

"Sort of," Evelyn said her voice an octave lower than it normally would have been. He saw her eyes travel across his face and body as she bit her lower lip. "If we stop now it would be."

Sheldon found himself speaking before he even thought. "What if we don't stop now?" he asked.

Evelyn grinned. "If we don't stop now then I'm taking you into my bedroom and doing things to do," she said in a lust filled voice.

"What kind of things?" Sheldon asked.

"Well, I can tell you," Evelyn said, her hands traveling from his shoulders, down his chest and to the waistband of his jeans. "Or I can show you."

Sheldon was torn and confused. How had she done that? He had been so nervous about being physical with her, but when she had kissed him...

"As much as this arouses me and my scientific mind loves the idea of physical research," he said. "I'm still not sure I'm ready for intercourse."

Evelyn's grin didn't falter. "We can do other sexual things that don't include actually having sex..." she said, her hand ghosting over the front of his jeans.

Sheldon found himself repeating his earlier words. "What kind of things?"

"As I said before," Evelyn said, taking his hands. "I can tell you...or I can show you." She paused, her wide eyes staring deep into Sheldon's. He realized this really was his choice to make. He was ignoring the part of his brain which was telling him to go home, mainly because his pants were uncomfortably tight and he wanted to get them off fast. Also, his new girlfriend's scent was completely intoxicating and there was heat radiating off her body which he found himself drawn to.

His brain wasn't working properly. He couldn't think straight. There was just one sentence going through his mind. "Show me," he said.

With his heart drumming in his ears, he allowed her to pull him into her bedroom.

**OoOoO****  
****A/N:** Yay, we're getting to some steamy bits! Now you have a hint about Evelyn's background. She's not as perfect as she appears to be, like most people.

Tell me what you think!


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **I am now the proud owner of 3 BBT t-shirts :) All of them have to do with Sheldon, of course. The first one I ordered Friday at work and I received it this morning. It has Sheldon's face on it and the words "Revenge is best served cold" in Klingon above his head, then the translation under his head. My boyfriend was a jerk and maintained the shirt wasn't funny, so I bought two more Sheldon shirts just to spite him. One is the famous, Bazinga! Shirt with his face on it, and the other one is him and the quote about being a visionary.

**OoOoO**

**The Female Specimen Enigma**

**Chapter 7**

Evelyn's room was too dark for Sheldon to see much. He had barely made out the queen sized bed when she closed the door behind them, plunging them both into darkness. He felt her hands on his chest, lightly pushing him towards the direction of the bed. The back of his knees hit the edge and he sat down heavily, blinking rapidly to try and help his eyes adjust to the dark.

"I can't see anything," he stated as he felt Evelyn remove his shoes.

"That's part of the fun," came Evelyn's voice from somewhere close to him. He was beginning to make out shapes and outlines, but that was all. He was instructed to scoot back and lean against the headboard, which he did. He felt the bed dip and he saw Evelyn's outline come closer to him on the bed. She was soon straddling his lap, her hands resting lightly on his shoulders. "There's less pressure when you aren't trying to watch what the other person is doing."

"So what happens now?" Sheldon couldn't help asking. He hands lay motionless at his sides and he was squinting slightly, trying to force himself to see something.

"I know you've never been with a woman, this way, before," Evelyn said. "And you won't be ready to have sex until you're comfortable being around me and touching me. So that's what I want you to do."

"I don't understand," Sheldon said, confused. He felt like he was missing something.

He felt Evelyn lean closer and he readied his mouth for a kiss. But instead of pressing her lips against his, she lightly brushed them against his chin then placed several small kisses to his ear. "Touch me, Sheldon," she said, just above a whisper.

The result was instantaneous. His erection, which had subsided slightly, came back with a vengeance. It twitching persistently and he knew Evelyn could feel it. How could she not when she was straddling his lap?

"I don't know where to touch you," Sheldon admitted. "Or how. What if I'm wrong? Good Lord, I never thought I would ever say this, but I feel completely hopeless."

He heard Evelyn sigh and her hands groped through the darkness for his. Taking them, she placed them on her hips. "Start here," she said, slipping her arms around his neck. "And just let them roam."

Before he could speak again, he found his mouth preoccupied with hers. He knew she had kissed him to purposely shut him up, but he found himself not complaining. She was kissing him the way she had kissed him the first time: soft and sweet. He didn't understand how she could go from a hungry vixen to an innocent woman in less than five minutes, but he wasn't complaining. He knew she had lost her self control before, and this was her way of reeling it in. She didn't want to scare him off. She wanted him to have fun.

Sheldon kissed her back just as innocently, his hands remaining on her hips. But as their kiss continued, he found himself deepening the kiss. His tongue seemed to have a mind of its own and he felt it curiously slide into her mouth briefly. He was met with a soft sigh, which encouraged him. He slipped his tongue into her mouth with a bit more confidence, and slowly started stroking her tongue. She responded by repeating the action back to him, involuntarily pressing herself against his chest.

Sheldon felt her warm body flush against his once again, and once again it sent tingles everywhere. His whole body was tingling. Her hands were soft as she idly ran her them through his hair and traced lazy patterns on the back of his neck. He found his hands moving under her tank top, finding himself anxious to know if the rest of her skin was as soft as the skin of her hands.

He wasn't disappointed. His hands slid over her warm flesh effortlessly as he gently ran his hands along her sides and up her back. He lightly trailed his fingers up her spin and the result was a slight shiver passing through the girl above him. That was a reaction he hadn't been expecting, but one he welcomed as a sign that he was doing something right. As his hands continued to roam upwards, he noticed that she had removed her bra after she had gotten home. He knew she had worn one throughout the day; he had stolen enough glances at her chest to realize this. She must have not been expecting him, even though she had made her availability for that night known to him.

Sheldon felt her warm mouth leave his and he was about to protest when he felt her begin to kiss his neck. They were hot, open mouthed kisses and she would occasionally swipe the flesh under her mouth with a flick of her tongue, followed by a quick graze of her teeth. Sheldon was finding it hard to catch his breath and as she quickly licked the shell of his ear, he let out a soft moan. It was a foreign sound to him. He had never made noises when he had been force to pleasure himself, but what Evelyn was doing was so much better than anything he could have ever done to himself.

His hands continued to roam without him realizing. When his attention was brought back to them, he found himself sliding his hands up her stomach and cupping her generous sized breasts. It was her turn to moan slightly. Sheldon liked the sound and wanted her to do it again, but he wasn't sure how. Remembering her words, he forced himself to relax and just let his hands do what they wanted. His thumbs slid gently across her soft nipples and he felt them grow slightly harder under his touch.

Wondering if it was a fluke or something he had done, Sheldon began to continually rub her nipples with his thumbs and was rewarded by another moan and shiver. The soft nubs grew harder under his touch and he knew that he was doing something right. He continued what he was doing while she continued to place idle kisses on his neck and ear. Sheldon hesitantly leaned his head forward and kissed the side of her neck. Her body was very responsive to the touch, so he did it again, and began to copy the kisses she had been placing on his neck.

Her mouth left his ear, to his dismay, but it was only because she had arched her neck to give him more access. He found a spot right under her jaw bone that made her twitch and he immediately attached his mouth to the spot. For someone who didn't know what he was doing, Sheldon was amazed at how much he was affecting her. He noticed that her heart was pounding against her chest and he could feel her pulse racing as he kissed it gently. His hands were still exploring her breasts and it was then that the he noticed her hands were moving.

She pulled away slightly as her hands ran down his chest, and Sheldon breathed in sharply as she reached the button of his pants. Quickly she undid them, and Sheldon was curious when she paused. He could feel the silent question she was asking him; again the decision was up to him. He felt himself nodding softly, wondering if she could even tell. His eyes had adjusted as best they could and he could make out some of her features, but he didn't know how good her eyes were.

She seemed to understand his nod and Sheldon nearly jumped as her hand slid into his pants. He was aware of his heart pounding loudly in his chest and that he suddenly felt several degrees hotter than he normally would have felt. He was so nervous, he didn't even feel her hand slip into his briefs until her fingers were suddenly wrapped around him. She shimmed down his legs a little bit to make room for her hand, while Sheldon grew still, waiting.

His mouth was suddenly occupied again as her hungry lips sought his. They kissed harshly and Sheldon's hands slipped from her breasts, back to her hips. He had no thoughts running through his head except, 'more'. It was a foreign concept to him, like everything else that was happening. Her hand began moving around him as she tugged on him gently and he found himself completely agreeing with the statement that having another person touch him was much more fun than doing it himself. He also found himself forgetting who had actually said the statement.

Evelyn pulled away from their kissing to catch her breath, allowing Sheldon to do the same. She rested her forehead against his as she continued to pleasure him with her hand. Sheldon could feel his whole body continually twitching and the tingles that he had felt early had now transformed into a raging heat that swept through his whole body. He was sweaty and moaning and twitching...three things he used to be repulsed by, but now welcomed.

It was after a few minutes of this that he knew he was close, and Evelyn seemed to know too. His hands clutched for her skin desperately as she moved off his lap. He was afraid her hand would stop and he couldn't let that happen. Not when he was so close. But before he could continued wondering about her sudden movement, a new sensation nearly shoved him over the edge. He felt the cool air and was suddenly enveloped in a warm heat. It took him a second to realize Evelyn's mouth was around him, while her hand continued to move.

This he had not been expecting; he hadn't expected any of it. His hands flew to her head instinctively. Soon his fingers tangled into her hair and he felt his hips start to move on their own. He felt a familiar tightening in his belly and he knew he done. The pressure had never been this intense before, his body had never been this responsive. Everything tensed. He knew he should warn Evelyn, but before he could utter a single syllable, stars exploded before his eyes.

His whole body jerked upward and he was partially aware that his grip of Evelyn's hair might be tighter than he meant for it to be. His back arched and his head flew back as he let out a loud and undignified grunt. Just as his muscles had tensed, they all relaxed as his orgasm came to an end. With no more energy, Sheldon collapsed into a limp mass on the bed, sweating profusely and panting heavily.

Evelyn was still around him and when he collapsed he felt himself leave the warmth of her mouth, cold without her. He didn't know what to say. What was the protocol for what just happened? How had she ended up pleasuring him when he had been the one instructed to touch her? Had it been a clever ploy to get him to relax so that she could do what she really had planned?

Sheldon wanted to ask, but was still too stunned to speak. He felt Evelyn lean over him, towards the nightstand, and the room was suddenly flooded with a warm, yellow glow. The first thing Sheldon noticed when his eyes readjusted was that her hair was a mess. Her lips were red and puffy and her cheeks were flaming. But despite this, she had the largest, most satisfied smile on her face. And Sheldon couldn't understand why. He hadn't brought her an orgasm that he knew of.

He wanted to say something; he was trying to force himself to say something. He opened his mouth several times but nothing came out.

"Have I done it?" Evelyn asked, her voice a little scratchy. "Have I actually made Doctor Sheldon Cooper speechless?"

Sheldon forced himself up onto his elbows as he looked up at Evelyn. He still didn't know what to say but he was determined to say something. "Bazinga," he said, his voice still breathless as he had yet to fully catch his breath.

Evelyn's beautiful face became confused. "Sorry?" she asked with a slight chuckle.

"It's what I say when I get people with a joke," Sheldon explained. "But it was the only word I could think about to express how incredible the experience was."

Evelyn smiled again and slid off his lap, and stood off the bed. She excused herself to the bathroom, where Sheldon heard her rinsing out her mouth. Sheldon's elbows gave out and he collapsed once more. He knew his pants and underwear were halfway down his legs and that his penis was on display for her to see, but part of him didn't care. He was too tired to move. "For someone who doesn't know what he's doing when it comes to women, you sure catch on quickly," Evelyn said as she came back into the room and leaned against the doorframe, watching him.

"I just noted your body's responses to what I was doing and followed through with my actions," Sheldon said with a shrug. His breath was coming back to him and he was no longer sweating. He did feel as if he needed a shower though. "But what you did...I still don't understand."

"Understand what?" Evelyn asked.

Sheldon turned his head to look at her. "You told me to touch you, giving me the impression I was to satisfy you," he explained. "But you turned around and satisfied me. Why?"

"Because I wanted to," Evelyn said simply. "With sexual things, there aren't always deeper meanings. Sometimes it's just about pleasuring the other person."

"Oh, okay," Sheldon said. He reached down and struggled slightly as he pulled his underwear and pants back up. Evelyn wandered over to her dresser, where her brushes and combs were, and began running a comb through her hair, trying to fix what Sheldon had messed up. When he managed to cover himself, Sheldon shakily got off the bed. His legs were a bit wobbly still, but otherwise he felt wonderful. His whole body was relaxed and there was a pleasant buzz in his belly. He watched Evelyn pull her hair into a ponytail and turn to him.

He didn't know what happened next.

"What do we do now?" Sheldon asked.

"Well, I have about five more cakes to bake and frost," Evelyn said, checking her watch. "You can stay and help, but I know you have work in the morning so..."

"Right, I'll go home and shower, then sleep," Sheldon said, following her out of the bedroom. She led him to the front door. There was no hesitation for the good night kiss this time. Sheldon leaned in expectedly and was not disappointed by the soft press of lips.

He walked back up the stairs as though he were in a fog. All he could think about was what had just happened in her apartment. When he reached his door, he realized his friends were still there, and they were probably wondering how his talk had went. One thing he knew was that what happened in the bedroom, stayed in the bedroom. He would have to just dance around their questioning.

Sheldon opened the apartment door and, as he thought, all eyes were on him.

"Well?" Leonard asked. "How did it go?"

"We had an informative chat," Sheldon said, trying not to make eye contact as he made his way across the living room. His room was so close, yet so far.

"And?" Howard asked. "What did you say? What did she say?"

"She's willing to wait for intercourse until I am ready," Sheldon responded. He was already to the hallway. "I'm going to shower and then sleep. Good night."

They all watched him disappear into his room, confused at his demeanor.

"She did something to him," Howard concluded, as soon as they were sure Sheldon was out of earshot.

"Like what?" Leonard asked, absentmindedly flipping through the channels on the television.

"I think she did something dirty to him," Howard said. "Did you see how wrinkled he was? And how messed up his hair was?" Leonard and Raj looked at each other in confusion. They had missed it at first, but when Howard had pointed it out, it was all they could think about.

They heard Sheldon come out of his room and head into the shower. He was singing under his breath, something he rarely did.

"I said it before and I'll say it again," Howard said as the bathroom door closed. "The world as we know it is ending!"

**OoOoO**

**A/N:** There you go, steamy stuff! I toned it down a bit for this site. Hope it was enough and I don't get in trouble. Please review!


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** Hope you enjoy this chapter! I had fun writing it!

**OoOoO**

**The Female Specimen Enigma**

**Chapter 8**

Sheldon was finding it very difficult to concentrate on his work. Every time he would pause to rethink an equation he was working on, images of Evelyn would swim before him and cause his mind to wander for a bit. He had never been this distracted in his work, at least when Comic Con wasn't involved. Once he had that thought, he began to wonder if Evelyn would go to Comic Con with them. It was a tedious and frustrating process that he wished would stop.

He just wanted to work. Before, whatever random change had affected his life, his work was the one constant that he could control. And evidently, Evelyn had somehow found a way to pierce his one fool proof safety bubble.

Sheldon forced himself out of his chair and picked up a dry erase marker, determined to get some work done. The extra push helped and he soon found himself completely absorbed by the equation in front of him. There was a knock on his door, to which he replied. "Go away, genius at work!"

To his dismay the door opened anyway and he spun around to saying something very unpleasant to whoever it was, but stopped as he saw Evelyn smiling in the doorway. She wore khaki capris with a light green blouse. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail, and Sheldon found himself wishing it was down instead. He really liked how she looked with her hair down.

"Sorry to interrupt," she said, staying in the doorway. "I just finished delivering a cake nearby and thought I'd stop in and see how work was going."

"Not well," Sheldon said as he returned to his equation and Evelyn stepped fully into the room. "Thanks to you."

"Thanks to me? What the hell did I do?" she asked, closing the door behind her. She didn't seem angry with his response, just curious as to what he was talking about.

"You've managed to do the one thing no other woman before you could do," Sheldon said, engrossed in the complex numbers in front of him.

"Which is?" came Evelyn's response.

Sheldon turned to face her, only to find her sitting on his desk, her legs crossed as she watched him. "Distract me," he explained. "I have never been distracted by a woman and I certainly have never been distracted from my work."

"And how am I distracting you?" Evelyn asked. She seemed amused by his accusation, something which made him a little frustrated and annoyed.

"Well what you doing right now is certainly not helping," Sheldon said, shooing her off his desk. "Place your rear end in an actual chair, not on my desk."

"Fair enough," Evelyn said, plopping herself into the chair in front of his desk as Sheldon took a seat at his desk. "How else am I distracting you?"

"You've managed to infiltrate my mind, something else that is not easy to achieve." he said, pulling open his laptop and beginning to type. "I don't know how you've done it, but I would very much appreciate it if I could concentrate on my work and not you."

"I'm sorry you don't want to think about me," Evelyn said with a frown.

Sheldon stopped his typing. "Sarcasm?" he asked and received a nod.

"Why don't you want to think about me?" Evelyn asked, still frowning. "I thought I gave you tingles…well, more than tingles after last night."

Sheldon felt his face flush. "This is why!" he said, pointing to his pink cheeks. "I'm acting in a way I've never acted before. I don't like change. I've barely been able to except you into my life! You should have seen how long it took me to get used to Penny."

"I think it's more than just change," Evelyn said, crossing her arms. "I think it's more than you being upset because you don't understand me or our relationship," Her piercing eyes searched his face. "You're use to always having the answers, and for this you don't. For this I actually have more answers than you do, and you don't like that very much."

"Yes, I am completely upset because in this one situation you have more knowledge than I do," Sheldon said, before he could stop himself. "And that was sarcasm." As soon as the words left his mouth, he immediately remembered what Penny had told him for his first date. He knew he had just insulted her intelligence and no good could come of it. She didn't look very amused.

"I'm pretty sure there are other situations in which, knowledge wise, I excel and you don't," said Evelyn. Her tone was a dangerous and challenging one. She was insulted and was getting angry. Her tone suggested that she was daring him to continue his line of thinking out loud.

Sheldon was all too ready to accept the challenge. "My work is based on the universe and everything it contains," he said in a condescending tone. "My knowledge is vast. I also have a photographic memory."

"Big whoop," Evelyn said, rolling her eyes. Her jaw was set tight and her eyes were still narrowed dangerously.

"Big whoop?" Sheldon asked as though he had misunderstood her. "Are you inferring that my intelligence cannot be measured against that of a pastry chef?"

He knew that as soon as the words left his mouth that he had hurt her very much, and part of him actually felt bad about it. But she had challenged him and there was no way he couldn't retort. Clucking her tongue disapprovingly, she uncrossed her arms and stood. Sheldon thought she was going to leave right away, but instead she walked around his desk towards him. He turned in his chair to face her. She leaned towards him, putting her hands on either side of him and bringing her face so close he could feel her breath tickling his lips.

"There is at least one area in which I have much more knowledge than you do," she said in a soft, slightly dangerous tone. Sheldon's body tried to react to having Evelyn so close, but his mind fought it this time. It took him a second to realize that this was the reaction she was hoping for. He knew exactly what area she was talking about and images from the previous night swam before his eyes. She could tell she was getting to him, which made him, if possible, more frustrated.

"And when you feel like having me teach you what I know in that…area…something you seemed to enjoy last night, I might add," she said, leaning in farther so that Sheldon had to tip back in his chair so not to make contact. "You'll call me and apologize for insulting me."

And just like that, she was across the room and out the door before Sheldon could even blink. He stared at the spot where she had stood wondering what had just happened. There was now no way he would be able to focus on work now. He knew where he had gone wrong; he just didn't know how to fix it.

"Hey, Sheldon," Leonard said, walking into the room. Evelyn had neglected to close the door when she had stormed off. "Ready for lunch?"

"Leonard, I have a question," Sheldon said, slowly standing from his seat.

"What is it?" the short man asked.

"When you are in a relationship, just how bad is it when you insult the other person's intelligence?" Sheldon asked, hands behind his back.

Leonard gave a groan and pressed his hand to his forehead as if he had a headache. "Sheldon!" he exclaimed. "I wouldn't know because I'm actually in touch with my emotions and I know that insulting anyone's intelligence, especially the intelligence of a woman you are trying to sleep with, is a very bad and mean thing to do!"

"Hey I am not entirely to blame here!" Sheldon said. "She started it!"

"Oh yeah, what did she say?" Leonard asked, crossing his arms. "She insisted that the reason why I am upset that she is mentally distracting me is because she holds more knowledge of our situation than I do."

"Sheldon, that is exactly why you don't like thinking about her!" Leonard snapped. "You have a once in a lifetime chance to be with a woman who really cares about you and you're blowing it!"

"What do you mean, once in a lifetime chance?" Sheldon asked, following Leonard out of the room as they headed for the cafeteria.

"I mean that statistically speaking, there is a very small chance you will ever meet someone at great as Evelyn who is willing to put up with your psychotic behavior," Leonard said. It was clear that he was irritated with his friend. "I'm surprised she stuck with you this long!"

"It's only been a few days since we've gotten together," Sheldon said.

"Exactly," Leonard told him. "I was done with you the first day I met you."

"Well, how do you suppose I fix this?" Sheldon asked as they entered the lunchroom and got in line for their food.

"I suggest you get on your knees and beg her for forgiveness," Leonard said. When he realized Sheldon thought he literally meant he was to kneel before Evelyn, he added. "Bring her a present and apologize."

"What kind of present?" Sheldon asked selecting several food items for his tray. "You know how I feel about presents!"

"Sheldon, this isn't about you anymore," Leonard informed him as they continued down the lunch line, selecting food. "The second you agreed to be in this relationship with Evelyn you also agreed to think about someone besides yourself."

"Was that written down somewhere? Because I certainly didn't sign anything!" Sheldon said as they paid for their lunches and went to find a table.

"Damn it, Sheldon," Leonard snapped as they sat. "Deep down you know what you said to Evelyn was wrong. Buy her a present, muster up some remorse from deep within you and apologize to her. She'll probably reward you."

"How so?" Sheldon asked curiously.

"Well, she obviously did something to you last night," Leonard said. "You were very happy when you went to bed. Whatever she did last night, she might do again."

"You know, right before she stormed out of my office she said if I apologized she would…" Sheldon began, then slowed his speaking as he tried to think of the right words. He was supposed to keep confidence when it came to anything sexual. "…repeat what she did." It wasn't clever but it would do.

"Just out of curiosity," Leonard couldn't help himself. "What did she do to you?"

"Are we finally allowed to ask Sheldon how Evelyn rocked his world yesterday?" Howard asked as he and Raj appeared out of nowhere. They took the empty seats at the table and looked at Sheldon expectedly.

"There was no world rocking," Sheldon said, placing his napkin on his lap. "All that there is to say is that I had an experience last night."

"So it was bad?" Howard asked disappointedly. "Whatever it was…"

Sheldon glared at him. "No, it was not bad," he said protectively, trying to defend Evelyn in some weird twisted way. "It was very good. I mean, what she did was very good…"

"Spit out, Sheldon," Raj exclaimed. "What did she do to you?"

He really wasn't in the mood for their questions and wanted to think about ways he could apologize to Evelyn. He stood with his lunch tray, but he knew they would keep nagging him if he didn't give them something. Turning to them he thought over his words. "It had to do with the cavity lying at the upper end of the alimentary canal and the terminal part of the human arm located below the forearm," he said in a matter of fact tone.

He turned on his heel and marched away as his friends processed what he had said.

**OoOoO**

"You jackass!" Penny exclaimed as she burst into Leonard and Sheldon's apartment. "Why the hell would you talk to your girlfriend that way?" She stood in the living room with her hands on her hips, a disapproving stare directed Sheldon's way.

"Penny, if you going to speak in a lower register then you can stay," Sheldon said with exasperation. He was in the kitchen mixing something in a bowl. "But if you're going to continue yelling at me in your high voice about things I already know, then you can leave." He hurriedly poured the mixture into a cake pan.

"What are you doing?" Penny asked.

Sheldon placed the pan in the oven and closed the door. Turning to Penny, he sighed again. "I'm doing the only thing I can think to do to apologize to Evelyn," he said. "I'm baking a cake to prove that she can do so better than I can."

"I don't follow," Penny said.

"When I bake or someone I know bakes, there is always something I would like to change," Sheldon said, setting the timer on the stove. "But when Evelyn bakes…it's clear she knows what she's doing. I figured the best way to apologize for being wrong is to show her that I was wrong. Hopefully she will forgive me."

"So you're baking her a cake to show her that she's better then you when it comes to baking cakes?" Penny asked, sounding confused.

Sheldon shook his head slightly. "Yes," he said. "It was a clear as I could make it."

"Aww, sweetie, that's adorable," Penny said, her confused face melting into a sappy expression.

"It was either this or the first season of Battlestar Galactica on DVD, but I was informed that the latter was not an appropriate gift for this occasion," Sheldon said. "Also, I didn't know what else she needed or wanted."

"Well, you're doing something and that's all the counts," Penny said with a smile. "You're changing, Sheldon. You're feeling empathy."

"So I've been told," he said, checking his watch to make sure it was synced with the timer.

"Well, I'll leave you to it then," Penny said, her smile still in place as she made her way back to the door. "And Sheldon?"

"What?"

"I'm proud of you!"

When the door closed after her, Sheldon rolled his eyes. "Well there's more approval I didn't need," he muttered. While he waited for the cake to bake, Sheldon tried to think of what he was going to say to Evelyn. He was not well versed in apologies and didn't feel that someone of his superiority should feel the need to apologize. But if he ever wanted to feel those tingles again (and by this point he had admitted to himself that it would not be so terrible to do so) he had to apologize. He also felt bad for what he said, because he could tell it affected her more than it would most people.

About an hour later the cake was fully baked and frosted and Sheldon was standing nervously outside Evelyn's door. He still didn't appreciate the fact that she made him nervous. He knocked the only way he knew how to knock and waited for her to answer.

Evelyn opened the door moments later. It was clear she had been crying. Her eyes were red and slightly puffy and she was sniffling a bit.

"I made you a cake," Sheldon said, showing her the dish he was holding. "I cheated. I used a box. You are a better baker because you can bake without a box or instructions. I'm sorry."

A small smile crept across Evelyn's face and she stepped aside to let him enter the apartment. Sheldon walked in, placed the disk on her counter and turned to face her. "If I had known that you were going to cry because of what I said, I would not have said it," Sheldon said. "Despite what people may think, I don't intentionally try to hurt anyone's feelings…unless they deserve it. You didn't deserve it. People don't usually cry when I say things they don't like. They just get angry."

"I know you didn't mean to make me cry, Sheldon," Evelyn said, her voice low and slightly hollow. "After I came home I sort of had flashbacks to fights I used to have with Ken. He insulted me all time and that's all I kept thinking about. You are nothing like Ken and I would never compare you to him because you're a million times better than him. But you think I would be used to being insulted by now."

"I don't think that," Sheldon said. "As smart as I am, and as many times as I've been teased, I never get used to it."

He suddenly found his arms full as Evelyn embraced him. He didn't know why she was hugging him, but he figured it was more for her benefit then for his. He placed his arms carefully around her and hugged her back. He knew that there was a difference between teasing and insulting, but he felt obligated to try and connect with her in some way. They were so different, and yet there were parts of their personalities which were very similar. He didn't understand it at all and he thought it would be a long time before he did.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he found himself asking. He was surprised that he actually, genuinely cared about what about Ken had made her so damaged.

Evelyn pulled away and glanced up at him with watery eyes. "It's a long story," she warned him.

Sheldon wasn't one for long stories which didn't include sci-fi or fantasy, but he knew he had no choice but the listen. It owed her that much. He also knew through Penny that being in a relationship meant listening to the other person. Evelyn would surely listen to him if he had a problem, so in return, he must listen to her.

"I have time," he said.

**OoOoO**

**A/N:** Another good stopping point! Their first argument! Yay! Please review!


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** I had to cut a bit out of the end of this chapter for rating reasons, but again, if you would like to read the full, un-edited version of this story, the link is in my profile.

**OoOoO**

**The Female Specimen Enigma**

**Chapter 9**

Sheldon and Evelyn took a seat on the couch. The physicist waited patiently for his girlfriend to collect herself before she began her story.

"I was 17 when I met Ken. It was the typical, high school romance. He was popular, I wasn't. So naturally, when he seemed interested in me, I was thrilled," she said, in the same hollow tone she had speaking in since Sheldon had arrived. "For the first two years, he was really sweet to me. We both went to the same college after high school, since I didn't want to have a long distance relationship. I was young and didn't know what to do with my life so I majored in business.

"His jokes started off being pretty harmless. He would tease me about studying business and say things about how woman should remain in the home and such. He never said these things with a serious tone, so I never took him seriously. But as our years at college went on, he became more snippy and harsh with his joking. It wasn't until we graduated that I realized he had been very serious about his views on women. He really thought I shouldn't have wasted my money on a business degree because I would just end up in the kitchen anyways."

She paused and closed her eyes for a second. Sheldon knew she was trying to compose herself and prevent herself from crying. He looked around and found a tissue box on the end table next to the couch. He seized it and placed it in Evelyn's hands, just in case she couldn't hold the tears back. He wasn't expecting her to.

She mumbled a word of thanks before pulling a tissue out and dabbing her eyes.

"It all went downhill from there. He refused to let me get a job after we graduated and insisted I stay home and have dinner ready for him when he came home. Sex was another issue. I had always told myself that I would wait to have sex until I was married. It wasn't for religious purposes or anything. It was mainly because I didn't feel I was mature enough to really handle the situation. You can guess that Ken didn't like that thought very much. By that point we had been dating for almost five years and I knew he was getting impatient.

"I knew he was bad for me and treated me like crap, but I still clung to the idea that he had chosen me over all the other girls who had thrown themselves at him. A sick twisted part of me felt proud to be with him. I noticed that his eyes would stray when we would go out, which was becoming less frequent. So I threw my values out the window and slept with him."

She took another pause as tears fell freely down her face and she wiped them away with a clean tissue. Sheldon was listening to the story (actually, really listening) and he began to feel the bile rise in his throat as he continued to hear more. He had never felt such anger for another human being before, at least, not anger for himself. He was angry at how Ken had mistreated Evelyn. Part of him didn't want to hear more, but he knew he had to.

"It was terrible," Evelyn continued. "He wasn't very gentle and he didn't even care if I enjoyed it or not. After that, things mellowed out a bit. I just started going through the motions. I did everything he told me to do and if I did it wrong he would yell at me. That's probably why I'm such a perfectionist now. The only thing I did do right without ever getting complaints was-."

"Baking," Sheldon finished, taking her hand in his own.

She nodded and continued. "So I began baking all the time. It was something I was good at, something Ken enjoyed and something I could lose myself in. Then I made the mistake of bringing up the idea of going to culinary school for pastry and baking," she said, her voice a bit softer now. "He got furious and started babbling about how I wanted to leave him and all this crap. He never hit me, thank God, but I knew if I stayed with him it probably would escalate to that. There was no way I was going to wait around until that happened; I had had enough. So the day after that argument, when he was at work, I packed up all my stuff and left."

"You didn't leave him a note, did you?" Sheldon asked. He was relieved when Evelyn shook her head.

"Hell no," she said, her voice becoming stronger now that the hard part was over. "I moved across the country, went to culinary school and started my business. It was the best decision I ever made. I've made sure to move several times throughout the years just in case he was looking for me. But I think I'm going to be staying here for awhile."

Sheldon nodded, but he didn't say anything. Once again Evelyn had rendered him speechless. Now he knew why Evelyn had been so upset and he couldn't blame her. "I would never do something like that to you," he said. "And if I insult you again, you have my permission to punish me for it."

Evelyn gave him a small smile before she wiped away the last of her tears. "Thanks for listening," she said. "And I understand if you don't want this relationship to continue."

Sheldon was confused. "I don't understand," he said.

Evelyn shrugged. "Most guys go running when they find out a girl has a tough past," she said. "I'm just letting you know that you have the option to leave."

Sheldon thought about what had been happening between them during the past couple of days. "I really don't think I do have an option," he said. "As hard as I tried to think of something else other than you, I couldn't. As Leonard put it, there are very few people willing to put up with my behavior. I know I can be difficult at times, but that's just who I am. Just like you are just who you are."

Evelyn embraced him tightly, and he could tell she was trying not to cry again. When she pulled away she took a deep breath and smiled her old smile again. "Well then," she said. "Now that that's out of the way, why don't we try the cake you made?"

Sheldon knew a dismissal of conversation when he heard one and he followed Evelyn into the kitchen. They cut into the cake he had baked and settled onto the sofa again, the television on just for background noise. Sheldon watched Evelyn take a medium sized bite of the cake. The look on her face was the same look Sheldon knew he wore when he was looking at an equation. She was analyzing the cake, trying to figure out where he had went wrong and how to fix it.

When she swallowed she shrugged. "Not bad, considering you followed the box," she said. "Everything was perfectly measured. It's the best a boxed cake can be. If you want though, I can show you how to bake a cake without a box or instructions."

"I would like that very much," Sheldon said enthusiastically. "I love to learn new things. Not many things in the world are new to me. If I remember correctly, which I always do, you did say that if I apologized to you, you would teach me all that you knew about intercourse and such." He paused, suddenly realizing how he must have sounded. "Though, now that I think about it this is probably not the best moment to bring that up."

But to his relief Evelyn was laughing. "It's alright," she said. "And don't worry, I intend to follow through on my promise."

Sheldon suddenly remembered something else. "Also, my mother is coming to visit this weekend and she would like to meet you," he said.

Evelyn inhaled sharply at the exact moment she took another bite of cake, so she was sent into a coughing fit. Sheldon immediately got up and got a glass of water from the kitchen, forcing Evelyn to drink some. "T-Thanks," she managed between coughs and water.

"Are you alright? You should really be careful about breathing at the exact moment when you put food in your mouth," he said.

"I know, you just startled me," she said before gulping the rest of the water. "Sheldon, it's a bit early to be meeting parents."

"Oh I am fully aware of this," he assured him. "But my mother is a stubborn woman and has insisted she needs to meet you. I meant to tell you earlier but things got in the way."

"It's ok, I understand," Evelyn said. She looked a bit worried.

"I'm sure my mother will love you," Sheldon said, patting her hand. "She is a great judge of character and she just wants me to be happy. You make me happy, ergo, she will like you." He said it so matter of fact that Evelyn couldn't help but smile.

"I make you happy?" she asked.

Sheldon realized that this was probably the first time she had heard this from someone. He hadn't even realized it until they had fought. He nodded. "Yes," he said simply. He was indeed happy. This was the first thing to make him happy that didn't involve physics, Star Trek, comic books, movies, television or video games. He has said it with such surety because he couldn't lie. He also knew it was something that would make her smile. He really did like it when she smiled.

He could tell by her face that she was holding back a much larger smile as she busied herself with her cake. But the pink hue to her cheeks gave away her pleasure and happiness and it made Sheldon's heart swell.

He placed his plate down on the coffee table and took Evelyn's plate from her hands, putting it next to his. Carefully, he took her face in his hands and brought her forward into a kiss. Soft and sweet was one of the few ways Sheldon could describe kissing Evelyn. He wasn't trying to make things go anywhere. He had simply wanted to kiss her, so he did. She scooted a bit closer to him so she wasn't straining her neck and kissed him back. Sheldon didn't know how long they sat there kissing, but when they pulled away he was struggling for breath.

"What was that for?" Evelyn asked.

"I wasn't aware that I required a reason to kiss my girlfriend," Sheldon said.

Evelyn grinned. "You're teasing in an actual teasing way!" she said fondly.

Sheldon breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh good, you knew I was teasing. I was afraid you would think it was rude," he said.

"Oh, hush," Evelyn mumbled. She pulled him into another kiss. "You don't need to worry. I think I'm able to determine the tone in which you mean things. I don't want you to constantly worry about hurting me. I can take care of myself and I'm pretty good at reading people. Today was just a temporary emotional moment." She gave him another peck. "I can take some teasing. If it gets too much, I will let you know."

Sheldon nodded and smiled back,

"Wow, first sexual experience, first fight, first make up," Evelyn listed as they settled against the couch, holding hands. "This has been an exciting week."

"I wouldn't say "exciting" exactly," Sheldon said. "More like, very intense."

Evelyn nodded in agreement.

"Though, certain events were exciting," Sheldon said conversationally. "The incident in your room, for example. I found that pleasurable and exciting." He saw the look on her face and knew she was about to kissed him again.

When she did kiss him this time, there was nothing innocent about it. Her tongue was exploring his mouth hungrily and he responded with just as much enthusiasm. He felt her tug him forward and he allowed himself to be pulled on top of her as they laid across the couch, Evelyn's head resting on the arm rest. Sheldon felt the familiar tightening of his pants, but through his foggy mind, he knew he didn't want whatever was going to happen to be about him.

Evelyn deserved to have it be about her.

Sheldon tried to take control of the situation. He plunged his tongue into her willing mouth and for once he hands roamed without him forcing them to. This seemed to take her by surprise as she halted her movements temporarily. He felt her slowly back down, and he knew she was curious as to what he was going to do. Sheldon really wasn't sure.

He thought of what she had done to him. He certainly wasn't ready to try tasting her, but he didn't see any reason why he couldn't at least touch her. He knew enough about the female anatomy to know what would be pleasurable. As he kept kissing her, he fumbled with the button of her pants. She tensed and he froze.

Pulling away from each other briefly, Evelyn's piercing green eyes searched Sheldon's wide blue ones. She was contemplating and wondering. Sheldon knew if he didn't keep going, he would lose his nerve and back out. "I would like to touch you," he said in a soft voice. "Nothing more."

He felt Evelyn relax again and she gave a small nod before picking up their kissing again. Sheldon continued to struggle with the button of her pants before she took mercy and undid it for him. He was happy she wasn't wearing tight capris because his hand was able to slide into the fabric easily. His hand lightly trailed over the fabric of her panties. They didn't feel special. They were simple cotton undergarments. But to Sheldon they were a new challenge; a new step in his life he was about to take.

Slowly and carefully, he slid his hand into her underwear. He felt Evelyn take a sharp breath as they briefly pulled away to catch their breath. He was surprised when his hand found soft skin. Pulling away from the kiss he looked at Evelyn. "You have no pubic hair," he said curiously.

Evelyn blushed. "No, I don't," she said simply and began kissing him again. Taking that as a hint that the discussion was closed, Sheldon began kissing her back again. His fingers moved across the flesh under her panties as he searched for her most sensitive area. When his fingers came in contact with the moist flesh, he was relieved. She was wet because what he was doing to her aroused her. This pleased him and he wasn't as nervous as he had been before.

Sheldon explored her curiously and scientifically, naming each area in his head as his hand touched it. His fingers brushed against something that made her twitch underneath him. He knew the area was the pleasure point for woman, so he stroked it experimentally. Evelyn twitched again, this time a bit more violently. As he continued his movements, she kept twitching and began to shiver, her teeth grazing his bottom lip.

Sheldon didn't want this to be over too soon, so he let his hand travel lower. Evelyn twitched again, but this time she pressed up against him. Whether voluntary or not, Sheldon knew the movement meant he was doing something right.

The man continued to kiss her as he moved his finger, earning more moans and shivering. Sheldon's other arm was holding him up, supporting most of his weight and he didn't know how long he could stay that way. He didn't know how long he needed to keep his movements up, but he knew he might lose strength if he didn't do something. But he continued what he was doing for some time, paying close attention to Evelyn's reactions.

He could tell something was happening to his girlfriend when she began move against him and mumbling something under her breath. Suddenly, she clutched onto him tightly and bit his lip slightly as he felt her spasm underneath him. He recognized the tension and release from his own experience the other night and reveled in the fact that he had just given his girlfriend her first orgasm.

They were oddly still. Sheldon had no idea what to do next, but he knew he wanted to go to the bathroom and wash his hand immediately. He looked at Evelyn questioningly.

"Go on," she said breathlessly, waving her hand in a pathetically tired way.

Sheldon nodded and untangled himself from her before hurrying to the bathroom. Lots of soap and water later he was back in the living room. Evelyn was lying exactly how he had left her, her pants open and wrinkled.

"I don't understand," she said.

"You don't understand what?" Sheldon asked, sitting back on the couch as she slowly sat up.

"Where they hell did you learn to do _that_?" Evelyn asked, removing her ponytail so she could fix it.

"I have extensive knowledge of the human body," Sheldon explained. "I know theoretically which parts are made for pleasure. The rest was just guess work with a little bit of reaction thrown in there."

After she fixed her ponytail Evelyn curled against Sheldon's side. She was asleep in seconds and he left her there while he flipped through the channels on the television. She was clearly physically and emotionally exhausted and there was no reason for him to move or wake her.

Sheldon settled on the Sy-Fy channel and as he watched her sleep, he couldn't help feeling proud of himself.

**OoOoO**

**A/N:** So there you have it. Most of Evelyn's back-story. Thoughts? Comments?


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **Enjoy! :)

**OoOoO**

**The Female Specimen Enigma**

**Chapter 10**

"This is too soon! I don't think I can do this!" Evelyn exclaimed as she paced her apartment, running her hands nervously through her hair. Sheldon and Leonard had only just left for the airport to pick up Sheldon's mother. Penny and Evelyn stayed behind not only because there wasn't enough room in the car, but also because Evelyn was freaking out. Penny had been trying to calm her down all day, to no avail.

"Sweetie, you have to calm down," Penny said, putting her hands on her friend's shoulders to hold her still. The pacing was driving her crazy.

"That's easy for you to say!" Evelyn exclaimed. "You were able to get Leonard's mom drunk so that she could like you. Sheldon's mom is very religious and doesn't drink any alcohol."

"Okay, first off, Leonard's mom liked me before she was drunk…I think," Penny said. "And second, you're an amazing person! Why wouldn't she like you?"

"She's my boyfriend's mom," Evelyn said. "She doesn't need a reason not to like me!"

Evelyn went into the kitchen and nervously began straightening up. This was pointless, considering the place was immaculate already. She had offered to make dinner for everyone at her place because she had a kitchen table they could sit down at. Penny also thought it was a control thing. She, like Sheldon, hated not being in control of a situation. Having the dinner in her apartment gave her some sense of control.

"Evelyn, if you scrub that counter any more the paint with come off," Penny said. "Come sit down on this couch before I make you!"

"I'm fine, I'm cool," Evelyn said, throwing her washing rag in the cabinet under the sink. "This is how I deal with stress. Just let me be." She wandered around the kitchen for a bit longer, occasionally checking on the green bean casserole in one oven and the broiled potatoes in the other. She had baked an apple pie and a cherry pie for dessert; both were being kept warm in the pie warmer drawer under the oven.

Penny sighed heavily and marched into the kitchen. Grabbing Evelyn by one arm, she hauled her out of the kitchen. "You're starting to bug me," she said, shoving her into one of the armchairs. "Now sit here, or I'll tie you down."

Evelyn sighed heavily and Penny saw her try to relax. "How do I look?" the pastry chef asked worriedly.

She had tried to dress modestly. She was wearing a long white skirt and a maroon blouse. Her hair was down and fell in soft waves around her face. She usually didn't wear makeup, but for the occasion she had thrown on some blush and mascara. "Honey, you look adorable," Penny assured her, taking a seat on the couch. "Why are you so nervous?"

Evelyn fidgeted in her seat. "I don't know," she said, clearly frustrated with herself. "I guess it's because I've only had to do the "meet the parents" stage once. Ken's parents didn't really care, so I didn't bother trying to impress them. Sheldon's mother cares about him, enough so that she's flying here from Texas to meet me."

"I know it's daunting, but being nervous doesn't help," Penny said. "Let's talk about something to take your mind off things."

"Like what?" Evelyn asked, fixing her earring. It didn't really need to be fixed, but she needed something to do with her hands.

"Like, how's it going with Sheldon?" Penny asked, grinning. It was clear she had wanted to ask the question for awhile, but the girls hadn't had time recently to chat. She had always been curious what Sheldon would be like if he had a girlfriend. She was disappointed to see no change, but she still wondered how things were when he and Evelyn were alone.

"Good, very good," Evelyn said, smiling a bit. "I told him about Ken."

"What did he say?" Penny asked.

"Not much," Evelyn answered. "Just that, he would never act that way towards me and he had known I was going to be so hurt by what he said, he wouldn't have said it."

"He's a sweetheart when he wants to be," Penny said. "Anything else?" She was beating around the bush.

"Just ask, Penny," Evelyn said with a laugh and a small shake of her head.

"How far have you gotten?" Penny asked hurriedly, sitting on the edge of the couch so she was closer to Evelyn. "Have you guys, you know, done stuff?"

"A bit," Evelyn admitted, pulling her legs up onto the armchair and wrapping her arms around her knees.

"Oh come on! This is girl talk!" Penny said. "You have to give me something more than that!" She paused as she tried to think of what question to ask first. "Have you touched it?"

Evelyn gave a shocked laugh at Penny's blunt question. Immediately she felt herself blush and she knew she had given her answer before she even had to speak. "Yes, Penny," she said. "I have touched it."

Penny gasped and tried to scoot closer to Evelyn, which was difficult since she was already on the edge of her seat. "Oh my God, when?" she asked. "What did he do? What was his reaction? Why didn't you tell me this sooner?"

Still laughing, Evelyn gave her friend a look. "You're ridiculous," she said fondly. "He admitted the other day that he enjoyed it. I gave him a fair warning that I was going to do something and we had been making out for a bit before that so he was relaxed." She paused, remembering what had happened several nights ago, a small smile on her face. "He also knows a lot more than you would think."

"What do you mean?" Penny asked slowly.

"I mean, he knows where to touch," Evelyn said smirking.

The look on Penny's face was priceless. She had expected Evelyn had done stuff to Sheldon. She had more experience than he did and he wasn't one for contact. But never in her wildest dreams did she think that he had reciprocated Evelyn's advances. Her mouth was hanging open in surprise and she covered it with her hand. "Holy crap on a stick!" she said. "Sheldon has urges!"

"According to him, he didn't before," Evelyn couldn't keep the smugness out of her voice. "But he does now."

"I can't believe this!" Penny said. "What have you done to him?"

Evelyn shrugged. "I haven't done anything, he just really likes me I guess," she said, throwing her hands up.

"I guess so," Penny said. "I've known him for three years and I have never seen him act this way around a girl. I almost fainted when I saw your relationship status."

"That was his idea," Evelyn told her, getting up at the timer on the oven beeped.

"Shut up!" Penny exclaimed, following her like a little girl would her big sister. She wanted to know more. "I never thought Sheldon would have a girlfriend…at least one he didn't build or who wasn't imaginary."

Carefully taking the casserole out of the oven, Evelyn found herself thinking how glad she was Penny had stayed behind with her. She definitely felt more relaxed. She hadn't realized Sheldon had been so withdrawn from women before. She had known that he had never been with anyone, she just didn't know the extent of it.

"Thanks for calming me down, Penny," she said smiling as she removed the potatoes from the oven. She placed them down on the counter.

"No problem, Honey," Penny said, giving her a half hug.

They went about setting the table and just as they were putting the last fork down, they heard voices in the hall. Evelyn's nerves flared right back up. "I have to go to the bathroom!" she said, before taking off in the direction of said room. Penny shook her head in amusement as there was a knock on the door and she went to answer the door.

When she opened it, there stood Leonard, Sheldon and Mrs. Cooper.

"Wow, Shelly," Mrs. Cooper said. "Either my eyes are finally failing or your girlfriend looks exactly like Leonard's girlfriend."

"Hi, Mrs. Cooper," Penny said smiling. "Evelyn just excused herself to the bathroom. It's nice to see you again."

"Nice to see you too, Penny," Mrs. Cooper said, giving the young woman a short hug.

"I think Evelyn is a little nervous," Penny whispered to the woman.

"If everything that Shelly's been telling me about her is true, she has no reason to worry," Mrs. Cooper assured her as she removed her jacket.

As she said this, Evelyn nervously wandered back into the room, fidgeting with her hair.

Sheldon spotted her and smiled. They met halfway across the room and he escorted her to where his mother stood, his hand supportively on her lower back. "Mom, this is Evelyn," he said, gesturing to the young woman with his free hand. "Evelyn, this is my mother, Mary Cooper."

Evelyn extended her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Cooper," she said smiling.

Sheldon's mother took her hand and smiled back. "It's nice to meet you too, Evelyn," she said. "And please, call me Mary. Well aren't you just the prettiest little thing? Sheldon tells me you own your own business."

Evelyn nodded, still smiling. "Yes, ma'am," she said. "It's called Pastries by Eve. I sell baked goods and pastries for all occasions."

"Now do you deliver outside of California?" Mrs. Cooper asked. "Our church always has fundraisers and we're always looking for people who can cater and sell baked goods. Can you make cookies in the shape of the cross and doves?"

Sheldon rolled his eyes at his mother, while it was clear that Evelyn was taken aback. "Oh, um, I don't see why not," she said. "I would have to overnight them so that they would remain fresh, but I could certainly give it a try."

"That's great!" Mrs. Cooper said smiling, putting her arm around Evelyn in a motherly way. "You would get a lot of business in our neighborhood." She paused and looked towards the kitchen. "Boy something sure smells good!"

"I made a green bean casserole with broiled potatoes," Evelyn said, leading them into the kitchen. She turned to Mrs. Cooper. "Would you like me to take your coat?"

"Thank you, Sweetheart," Mrs. Cooper said, handing the coat to her. "I'm just gonna grab something cold from the fridge if you don't mind."

"Oh, no, go right ahead," Evelyn said, taking the coat. She took a deep breath as she hung the coat in the closet. Her hands were shaking so bad she almost dropped it.

Penny and Leonard had been standing by, watching silently. They didn't know how to read Sheldon's mom, but from what they saw, they guessed she liked Evelyn. She certainly would have spoken up already if she didn't like her. They all took their seats at the kitchen table. "Everything looks delicious, Evelyn," Leonard said, trying to make sure the conversation kept going.

"Oh, Leonard, I made a smaller, separate casserole for you that doesn't have cheese," Evelyn said, getting up from her chair. She pulled the platter out of the microwave, where it had been sitting to stay warm.

"Thank you, that was very kind of you," Leonard said, accepting the platter with a smile.

"I think the kindness is appreciated by all of us," Sheldon spoke up."Especially those of us who have to constantly deal with your inability to process dairy."

"Now, Sheldon, don't tease your little friend," Mrs. Cooper said sternly. "It's not polite."

"Sorry, Mom," Sheldon said, looking at his plate.

They all joined hands and Sheldon's mom said grace. Just as they began serving themselves, there was another knock on the door. With a confused face, Evelyn made a movement to stand, but Sheldon placed a hand on hers. "I'm closer, I'll get it," he assured her.

"Are you sure?" Evelyn asked.

"You've been cooking and cleaning all day, I'll get it," Sheldon said, already standing.

"That's my Shelly, always the gentleman," Mrs. Cooper said proudly as she took a sip of her soda.

Sheldon crossed the room and when he opened the door he sighed. "What are you two doing here?" he asked Howard and Raj.

"Sorry we're late, but we thought dinner was upstairs," Howard said.

"You're not late because you were not expected," Sheldon said, his eyebrows raised.

"Why not?" Howard asked. "We love your mom and we love food!"

"This is a very important dinner," Sheldon said in a hushed tone. "Ergo only certain people were invited."

"Oh," Howard said, softly. It was clear he was about to lay out the Jewish guilt. "I'm sorry we interrupted your little "family" gathering. I thought you considered us family."

"Wrong again," Sheldon said. "Good bye!"

"Is that Howard and Raj?" Mrs. Cooper asked.

"They were just leaving," Sheldon said back to her.

"Nonsense!" Mrs. Cooper said. "I'm sure Evelyn won't mind if they join us. There's plenty of food here."

"I really don't mind, Sheldon," Evelyn said, not realizing he didn't want them to join. "I always make enough food for leftovers."

Defeated and outnumbered, Sheldon stepped aside and let the two men enter. Penny and Leonard pulled out some folding chairs from the hall closet and they all sat down. They were finally able to eat. "Evelyn, this is delicious!" Mrs. Cooper said after she swallowed her first bite. "Shelly, if this girl can cook and bake, while also working at home, she's a keeper."

"I sort of have a fear of large crowds," Evelyn admitted. "So, working from home is something I feel very comfortable doing."

"It'll also come in handy when you two have kids," Mrs. Cooper said, taking a dinner roll out of the warming basket.

Both Evelyn and Sheldon choked on the food in their mouths, while their friends tried to stop the grins spreading across their faces. They loved watching the couple squirm under the quizzical eye of Sheldon's mother. "Mother," Sheldon said when he was finally able to speak again. "I know you have a strong desire to have grandchildren, but our relationship is still much too new to making any such plans."

"Oh I was just sayin'," his mother said with a wave of her hand. "And it's not exactly like you both are spring chickens. Sheldon you're 30 already and Evelyn, how old are you?"

"27," Evelyn answered.

"That's a good age to have children," Mrs. Cooper said, putting another bite of food into her mouth. "Now I'm not sayin' you have to go off and have kids right away. I just sayin' that it's something you should think about."

"I'm not sure I even want children," Evelyn said.

"Why not?" Mrs. Cooper asked. "Was wrong with kids?"

"Nothing is wrong with them," Evelyn said hurriedly. "I just haven't given it much thought before and I have no strong desire to have children in the near future. I'm just enjoying life the way it is."

"I understand that, Honey," Mrs. Cooper said. "But if you're going to be with my son, you have to give it some thought, is all I'm sayin'."

"Mother, this is not the time to regale everyone with your desire to have one of your children procreate," Sheldon cut in, seeing that Evelyn was beginning to become uncomfortable. "If this relationship progresses further, I am sure Evelyn and I will discuss the possibility of even considering procreating. But right now can we just drop the subject?"

Holding her hands up in surrender his mother nodded. "I don't mean to butt in," she said. "I just wanted to say my peace."

"Now I'm starting to enjoy the fact that my mother doesn't care," Leonard whispered to Penny as everyone fell into an awkward silence.

When dinner was finished, Sheldon helped Evelyn clear the dishes while everyone else retired to the living room. "Are you alright?" Sheldon asked as Evelyn removed the pies from the warming tray. With her lips pursed, Evely nodded curtly but didn't respond. He could practically see the wheels in her head turning and he was sure whatever she was thinking about wasn't good for him.

Thankfully dessert passed quickly and without any more awkwardness. Howard and Raj excused themselves early and Penny soon followed so she could do her laundry. As Sheldon and Leonard were getting ready to bring Mrs. Cooper to her hotel, the Texas woman pulled Evelyn aside. "I'm sorry I came off a bit forward, I didn't mean to offend," she said. "But I was trying to figure out your intentions with my son. He is very special and I don't want to see him hurt."

"I understand," Evelyn said smiling softly. "He's still getting used to the idea of us being in a relationship so we are taking things one day at a time. My last relationship was five years ago and it was the only one I've had. It also ended very badly. I am not a woman to jump into a relationship lightly."

"Baby, I knew you had emotional baggage the second I laid eyes on you," Mrs. Cooper said. "Does Sheldon know?"

"Yes," Evelyn said with a nod. "I told him everything. He deserved to know."

"Good," Mrs. Cooper said. "There should be no secrets between you two. I'm no expert on love, but I know it when I see it."

Evelyn was confused. "Excuse me?" she asked.

Mrs. Cooper smiled and patted her cheek affectionately. "He may not know it yet or even know what it is yet, but he's got it in his eyes," she said, smiling over at her son who was waiting patiently by the front door. "And you've got a little of it yourself. All I ask is that you be careful with him and take care of him, alright?"

Still mulling the woman's words over in her head, Evelyn nodded. "Of course," she said. She allowed Mrs. Cooper to pull her into a tight embrace, which she returned half-heartedly. As his mother joined him by the door, Sheldon smiled at Evelyn.

"I'll stop by when Leonard and I get back," he said.

Evelyn nodded and waved to them as they closed the door. As she turned to tidy up the kitchen, she was still wondering what his mother had meant.

**OoOoO**

**A/N:** And another chapter posted! Please review! Next chapter might take a bit: some editing needs to be done ;)


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: **All I have to say is: enjoy! ;)

**OoOoO**

**The Female Specimen Enigma**

**Chapter 11**

"You're pretty quiet," Leonard remarked after he and Sheldon said goodbye to Mrs. Cooper and started to drive back home.

"I wasn't aware I was supposed to be noisy," Sheldon said, staring aimlessly out the window.

Leonard shrugged. "You usually can't stop talking to your mother when she's here and you've been very quiet since we left Evelyn's," he said. "And considering the night went very well, I thought you would be celebrating. This was a big deal and everything turned out fine."

"Yes, I suppose," Sheldon said.

"What do you mean by that?" Leonard asked curiously.

"From what I understand, parents are supposed to find the flaws in their child's partner," Sheldon said looking at Leonard quizzically. "If my mother had seen anything she disliked, she would have spoken up immediately. But she didn't say anything, which worries me. Maybe there's something about Evelyn that she doesn't like to the point where she's rendered speechless..."

"Sheldon, I think you're reading too much into things," Leonard assured him. "You know your mom better than anyone. If she did not approve, she would have at least told you in the car."

"True," Sheldon said.

"And sometimes parents do like their child's partner," Leonard said with a shrug. "Sometimes things are simple like that."

"I suppose you're right," Sheldon said. They fell into silence once more, but Leonard could practically see the wheels in Sheldon's head turning. The man was deep in thought about something, and part of Leonard wanted to know what. Another part knew no good ever came from Sheldon pondering.

"Leonard?"

"Yes, Sheldon?"

"I think I want to have intercourse with Evelyn."

The car swerved dangerously as Leonard whipped his head to the side to look at Sheldon. Several drivers honked at Leonard while he straightened the car. Sheldon was gripping the safety bar tightly and glaring daggers at his roommate. "What was that about?" he asked angrily. "You could have gotten us killed!"

"You took me by surprise!" Leonard said defensively, sending apologetic waves to the people who passed him. "That was definitely never something I was expecting to come out of your mouth."

They fell into awkward silence, neither knowing how or if to continue the conversation. "What brought this on?" Leonard had to ask.

Sheldon half shrugged. "I've been thinking about it for the past couple of days," he said. "Ever since Evelyn put her hand down my pants. It's a natural part of human life that I previously had no desire to experience. But my curiosity is wondering what I'm missing. If having that part of me in her mouth, however brief, was that wonderful. I wonder how it would feel elsewhere."

Leonard could tell his mouth was hanging open in shock, but he couldn't close it. Sheldon had just revealed a lot more than he had probably meant to. He also never thought he would ever being having such a conversation with him. Images that he never wanted to have popped into his head and he violently tried to shake them loose. Blissfully unaware of Leonard's reaction, Sheldon continued to stare out the window, unaffected.

"Also, I know more about her," he continued. "Her past sexual experiences weren't satisfying or enjoyable in anyway and for some reason it takes the pressure off. I assume it's because she's not expecting much, but by now I think I've read enough to know what can be pleasurable for the both of us."

"Are you sure you want to take this step so soon?" Leonard asked. "You guys haven't been together that long. It hasn't even been two weeks yet!"

Sheldon looked confused. "I'm sorry, but wasn't the desired moment for intercourse after the third date?" he asked.

Leonard shrugged. "Well, yeah, kinda," he said.

"So what if two people have three dates in a row in the same week?" Sheldon asked. "Wouldn't intercourse after three days be too soon? As I recall for you and Joyce Kim, it was barely 12 hours..."

"Okay, okay, I see your point," Leonard said.

"I never realized this before, but there should be some emotional connection when it comes to intercourse," Sheldon said. "It's not always about the chemicals in your body. Emotionally I want to be closer to Evelyn. It's a strange feeling that I'm not entirely comfortable with, yet I'm not repulsed by it either. I'm not sure what to make of it just yet."

"Have you given any thought about what Evelyn might want?" Leonard asked rationally.

"Of course I have," Sheldon scoffed. "I know she would like to take things slow. I wasn't going to suggest we just jump into bed tonight. I was just going to make it known to her that I am intercourse ready when she is."

"I still can't believe any of this is happening," Leonard said with a shake of his head.

"Neither can I," Sheldon agreed as Leonard pulled the car to a stop in front of their apartment building. "But such is life. We can rarely see things coming. Unless you're psychic...and we both know there's no such thing."

They were silent once again as they got out of the car and headed into the building. Sheldon said goodnight to Leonard on the second floor and knocked on the door to Evelyn's apartment. His girlfriend opened it wearing red silk pajama bottoms and a spaghetti strap shirt. Smiling, she let him in and gave him a tight hug.

"I must say that this evening was a remarkable success," Sheldon said as Evelyn closed and locked the door.

"Really?" the redhead asked. "I mean, you're mother seemed like she liked me when she left. I guess I was just thinking she would show her true colors in the car."

"If she didn't like anything about you, she kept it to herself," Sheldon said. "But as far as I can tell, she approves."

Evelyn sighed with relief and smiled brightly. "Great," she said.

It was when she smiled that Sheldon knew he needed to say something. Except he couldn't really find the words so he just smiled back. There must have been something in his smile that was different from his other smiles because his girlfriend looked at him with confusion."What?" she asked, chuckling slightly.

"I'm ready," Sheldon said.

Evelyn blinked, clearly confused. "Ready for what?" she asked.

"I'm ready," Sheldon repeated. "For intercourse."

Sheldon saw the same shocked and confused face Leonard had just worn in the car and he took her hand and led her to the couch. They sat down and he took her other hand as well. "I'm not sure why," he said. "But I think I am ready now. Maybe it has to do with my mother trusting you, which means I can trust you, or maybe it's just because I want you. All I know is, I am ready when you will have me."

Evelyn just stared at Sheldon, eyes narrowed. He noticed the signs of her mind hard at work. She was trying to figure things out. She was wondering just when this change in him had occurred. He didn't even know himself. "I'm not sure when my mind became made up," Sheldon answered her silent question. "I fully understand that it can be considered too soon in the relationship, and given your history with rushing, I know you are hesitant. It does not have to be tonight. Just...when you want it to happen, I will be there."

He was pulled into a kiss, something he was getting quite used to. He could feel her lips trembling under his and he wondered if he had said something wrong or if Evelyn was feeling alright. When they pulled away, she let out a shaky breath. "I'm scared," she said. "Mainly because, I want to sleep with you as well. Ever since I told you about Ken, I've been thinking things over. Part of me knows that I wasn't just worried about being mature enough to have sex...part of me knows that I put it off because he wanted it so much and I didn't."

She linked her fingers with his and stared into his eyes. "But this is different..." she said. "I want you. More than I've ever wanted anyone. I want to share that part of me with you."

Sheldon smiled. "Oh good," he said. "You had me worried there for a second." Evelyn couldn't help but laugh.

A thought struck Sheldon. "Wait," he said. "Does this mean that we could have intercourse tonight if we wanted?"

Evelyn laughed harder, blushing brightly. She pushed her loose hair out of her face as she studied Sheldon's questioning stare. He was dead serious and waiting for her response. Everything they had discussed about going slow seemed to just disappear as her mind started to wander. She had always wondered what it would be like to have sex with someone who cared about her needs as well as his own. She was also curious about Sheldon in general and what would happen once they were both naked in bed.

But could she do this? Now?

In her head she thought back to what his mother had said and she thought the words over. There was obviously something happening between them. They were both feeling things new and scary, things they had never felt before. Should she try and stop it or jump full force?

Overcome but sudden fierce emotion, Evelyn made up her mind. She was done being cautious. She was done tiptoeing around things she wanted. And she was certainly done comparing her relationship with Sheldon to the one she had had with Ken. They were completely different people, and she was a completely different person now as well.

"If you want to, Sheldon," Evelyn said. "Then yes, we can."

Sheldon's breath caught in his throat excitedly. "Alright then," he said with a nervous smile. "I have a couple of conditions. First, we must both shower before and after the event. Second, if you decide to put my penis is your mouth, please don't kiss me afterwards. And third, no laughing. My knowledge in this area is very limited and it will do no good to mock me. Other than those three things we can begin intercourse."

Evelyn laughed again. "I accept your conditions and I have conditions of my own," she said. "First, don't over think things. Just listen to what your body wants and follow through. Second, don't feel like there are certain things you have to do because you've read it somewhere or the guys have told you about it. And third, stop saying intercourse."

"What should I call it?" Sheldon asked.

Evelyn snaked her arms around his neck and kissed him. "You can call it sex...getting laid...a roll in the hay..." she said, punctuating each new name with a kiss along Sheldon's jaw. "Screwing..." She reached his ear and he shivered as her lips brushed along the shell. "Fucking..."

"Oh good Lord," Sheldon said breathlessly. He was extremely aroused. "Is it actually starting now?"

This time Evelyn's chuckle was deep and seductive. She pulled away from his tingling body and pulled him to his feet. "I believe you requested a shower beforehand," she said, leading him to the bathroom.

"You want me to shower here?" he asked. "Wouldn't that take too much time? There will be a lot of waiting around for the both of us."

"Who said we were taking separate showers?" Evelyn asked, turning the light on in the bathroom and pulling him in. "I've always wanted to shower with someone. No reason why we should wait around when we can start right away..."

"But the shower is supposed to be a clean place," Sheldon said as Evelyn let go of his hands and turned on the water.

She smirked at him. "You can be dirty in a clean place, Sheldon," she said. Without hesitation, she pulled her shirt over her head and for the first time Sheldon saw real breasts. He had to admit he had done a pretty good job of picturing them when he had been touching them several nights ago. They were round and supple and Sheldon had trouble tearing his eyes away. When he did manage to look away, he realized Evelyn was already fully naked and slipping into the shower. "You don't have to join me if you don't want to," came her slightly disappointed voice. "The choice is yours."

His girlfriend was naked and about to get soapy. There was no way Sheldon was missing that view. He quickly shook out of his jacket and kicked his shoes off. There had never been any rush to remove his clothes before, but this time he didn't spare a second as he discarded his shirts and pants. His briefs came last and he hesitated going into the shower, his hand gripping the curtain. For him this was the point of no return. The second he stepped into that shower he was going to follow through with what they were doing. He needed a moment to steady himself. From the other side of the shower, Evelyn placed a wet hand on his and pulled the curtain back for him. She offered him her other hand to help him into the shower. Sheldon thought she looked gorgeous. She was dripping wet from head to toe, making her body glisten in the bright light of the bathroom. Sheldon took her hand and stepped into the shower.

The water was a little colder than he liked it, so he moved around Evelyn to adjust it. Once it was the perfect temperature. He stood under the shower head and allowed the water to cascade down his body. Evelyn was watching him and she had the same look on her face that Sheldon would attribute to a biologist studying an interesting specimen. She stepped under the water with him, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Sheldon never thought it would feel so good to have a warm, wet body pressed against his own. He placed his hands on her hips and kissed her back, noting how their bodies slid easily against each other's as they moved. They only remained that way for a minute or so, both eager to continue things further. Evelyn reached for the soap and rolled it around in her hands until they were full of lather.

Sheldon inhaled sharply as Evelyn began to run her soapy hands across his body, starting with his shoulders and moving lower. She kissed him as she did this, her hands starting to dip to the area between them. Sheldon moaned slightly as her slippery hands stroked him. Instinctively, his hands gripped her hips tighter and he pulled her closer to him. She let go of him and began to writhe against him, spreading the soap that was covering him around her body now as well. Neither knew how much more of this they could take. They hadn't done much, but what they had done had fueled their already active libidos and they wanted to hurry to the bedroom immediately.

"Are we clean enough, Dr. Cooper?" Evelyn asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I would say so," Sheldon said.

They hurriedly rinsed off their soapy bodies and turned off the shower. Drying themselves with two, fluffy, blue towels, Sheldon and Evelyn couldn't keep their eyes off of each other. They were in the bedroom before they knew it, kissing heatedly. As they fell onto the bed, Evelyn lying flush against him, Sheldon realized something. "You're hair is still wet," he said to his girlfriend as her cold locks hit him in the face. She paused kissing his neck and pulled back slightly.

"Do you want me to get off of you, go into the bathroom and spend about 45 minutes drying my hair?" she asked in a hollow tone. Even if Sheldon wanted her to do such a thing, he knew she wouldn't.

"Definitely not," Sheldon concluded. Why would he want her to get off on him? His body was feeling that fire again and he only wanted to fuel it. Evelyn leaving would be very counter productive. He began kissing her again, his hands running across her freshly cleaned and very smooth skin. She smelt like water and soap and when Sheldon felt her warm heat pressing against his arousal, he pressed his hips up experimentally. Evelyn ground down against him and after a few minutes of this, she became just as aroused as he was. His hands traveled down and he found himself gripping her firm backside. He found that if he gripped her there and pressed her down against him, there was much more enjoyable friction. Evelyn was attacking his neck and ear viciously while Sheldon turned his head to the side to give her access.

If things were this good now, he couldn't wait to see what it felt like being inside of her.

He could sense that moment was coming. Evelyn was moving with him faster and before he knew it, she had rolled over and pulled him on top of her. He hadn't been expecting for her to allow him to be on top. He had fully expected her to remain in control of the situation and from what he had read, he had understood that being on top gave that person more control. Though, he supposed it made sense. She wanted him to go at his own pace, not her pace. Part of him remembered she was also used to it being this way. Not wanting to dwell on that subject at this moment in time, Sheldon kissed her deeply before pulling away slightly.

He peered down at her. The light was still on in the bathroom and it seeped into the bedroom and allowed him to see her flush face. Her eyes were wide and curious. She was waiting patiently for him to continue. Sheldon kissed her again, carefully positioned himself, and very slowly took the scariest step in his life. The effect was instantaneous. Both arched their backs and groaned deeply as Sheldon became surrounded by her heat. He wanted to move, but as he looked down at Evelyn he noticed her face was pinched, as if she was in pain.

"Are you alright?" he managed to ask, though how he could even form a coherent thought, he wasn't sure.

Evelyn nodded, her eyes still tightly shut. "Been...awhile," she said through clenched teeth. "Need a minute. Move slow."

Nodding, Sheldon did as he was told. He watched her face worriedly; looking for any signs to indicate that the pain was increasing or decreasing. He felt her force herself to relax underneath him, and the tension in her face a body began to loosen. He also felt her relax around him, but he did not dare pick up the pace until she told him to. Finally, after a few minutes of this, Evelyn's face was no longer pinched and she opened her eyes to look up at him. There was a small smile playing on her lips and she gave him an encouraging nod. Still worried about possibly hurting her, Sheldon began to move a bit faster.

He was experiencing so many different emotions at once that he thought he might burst. Now he knew what the guys were always chasing women and why so many people where obsessed with sex. He found her warm heat and the friction of their bodies very intoxicating and his mind couldn't focus on anything else. His forehead was resting against hers as he held himself up on one elbow, the hand of his other arm resting on Evelyn's bent leg. He gripped it a little tighter and found it gave him a bit more leverage. From the look on her face he could tell her was no longer hurting her, so it was with confidence that he continued on.

Nothing could be heard except their heavy breathing and the soft sighs and moans both were making. Sheldon shut his eyes and buried his face in her neck, taking in her strong scent and focusing on his other senses. Everything seemed more intense with his eyes closed. He wasn't distracted by what he saw. He was able to feel what was happening to his body and he found it heightened the experience. One of Evelyn's hands was tangled in his hair, while the other ran across his smooth, pale back. She began to meet his hips her own and it was with a sinking heart that Sheldon realized, he was not going to last much longer. It seemed his body was racing to the finish line faster than his mind was, and he slowed down his pace so not to end too soon. He wanted to finish. But his lust idled brain reminded him that a short sexual experience was deemed embarrassing. He didn't want to be mocked.

As if she sensed what was wrong, Evelyn kissed his shoulder. "It's...okay," she whispered through pants. "Don't...over think...let go."

Encouraged, and past the point of reasonable thought. Sheldon picked up his pace once more, pulling his head back so he could look at Evelyn again. Her eyes were closed like his had been, and she was biting her lower lip as she whimpered. There was no sign that she was close, but Sheldon knew he couldn't delay any longer. His body was screaming for release and his limbs and hips were beginning to ache from the physical activity he was not used to. Sheldon pressed a harsh kiss to Evelyn's lips, and after several more moments, he became completely unraveled. He saw stars again as his release made him breathless and spent. He rode out the waves of pleasure as long as he could before he collapsed on top of Evelyn.

They were both very still, trying to catch their breath.

When he was able to think clearly again, Sheldon's heart sank. He had not given Evelyn the desired orgasm. "I'm sorry," he said, slowly detaching himself from her body. He realized the he was completely drenched with sweat, but was too tired to do much more than move to the spot on the bed next to her.

"What are you sorry about?" Evelyn asked, turning on her side to curl against him. She rested her chin on her arm, looking at him, while her other hand drew lazy patterns on his chest.

"The experience didn't last that long and you did not receive an orgasm," Sheldon said, clearly disappointed and unhappy with himself. "I said I would make sure you were fully satisfied, and I just completely focused on myself. I apologize."

Evelyn chuckled and shook her head. "You never cease to amaze me," she said. "It's alright. I am still plenty satisfied. And don't worry about how long the experience was. It was still the best I've had because it was with you."

Not knowing if she was sincere or just trying to make him feel better, Sheldon sighed and moved a strand of hair out of her face. "Once I regain the use of my limbs, I'll leave for my own home, don't worry," he said, struggling to sit up.

To his surprise, Evelyn scoffed and pushed him back down. She wrapped herself around his body. "You're not going anywhere," she said sleepily, burying her face in his neck. "Relax and go to sleep."

Too tired to argue, and too warm and sleepy to go anywhere else, Sheldon pulled the blanket over them and settled in for sleep. They were both out within seconds.

**OoOoO**

"So do you think they will actually do something tonight?" Penny asked as she and Leonard grabbed their jackets. They had been talking about Evelyn and Sheldon for the past hour and whether or not they thought the couple would do the deed that night. They found that they were too curious to go to sleep yet, and Penny had a strong desire for frozen yogurt, which spawned the idea to go out for a late night snack.

Leonard shrugged as they stepped out of the apartment and locked the door behind them. "Who knows," he said. "The world already doesn't make sense just by the fact Sheldon has a girlfriend. We won't know until tomorrow."

Despite this thinking, they still lingered by Evelyn's door on the second floor landing. "I can't hear anything," Penny said, her ear pressed against the front door. "Either they fell asleep or they aren't being very loud."

"Penny, think about this," Leonard said, pulling her away from the door. "It's Sheldon. If he was having sex, would you really want to listen in?"

Thinking this over, she shuddered. "No, you're right," she said as they descended the staircase. "Good point."

As they left the building and stepped outside, they almost ran into a man standing by the front door.

"Excuse me," Leonard said as he stumbled into him.

The man was of average height and build, but there was something about him that was off putting. Leonard found himself wondering why the man had been standing so close to the door of the building to begin with. He knew the man didn't live there. Leonard had lived in the building for several years and knew all the residents. The man looked like he was waiting for someone to come out and he was looking at the building curiously.

"You look lost, is there something I can help you with?" Leonard asked. The man was bigger than he was (as were most people) but that didn't stop Leonard from protectively stepping in front of Penny.

"I'm looking for a friend of mine," the man said in a deep, gravelly voice. He looked at Leonard with uncomfortably piercing grey eyes and his face looked as if it had a permanent sneer to it. "She's tall, has red hair, green eyes..."

"No one in our building fits that description," Penny spoke up, eyes narrowed with distrust.

The man looked at Penny and she felt disgusted as his eyes roamed her face and body uncomfortably. "Are you sure?" he asked. While his tone with her was sweeter than it had been with Leonard's, that didn't stop the creepiness they both felt. It was clear he didn't believe her.

"I've lived here for three years," Penny said in a strong clear voice. "I think I would know." If he thought he was going to intimidate her, he was sadly mistaken.

"And I've been here longer than that," Leonard spoke up, sensing the tension in the situation and wanting it to be over as fast as possible. "And I would definitely know."

Silently the man looked at the couple before he made a noise of annoyance and turned away. They watched him walk to a waiting cab and get in. Both didn't realize they had been holding their breath until the cab was out of sight and they felt themselves relax. "Penny," Leonard asked. "Was that who I think it was?" He looked at his girlfriend to find that she was very pale and queasy looking. She nodded, too stunned and scared to speak.

Ken had found Evelyn.

**OoOoO**

**A/N: **I believe this is one of those Dun Dun Dunnnnnnnn moments! Please review! Also I'll be on AIM (katrinamariepace) all day, probably bored if anyone wants to chat. I also made a couple of Jim Parsons wallpapers and avatars if anyone is interested! As always, the NC-17 version of this chapter (which isn't too much different) is linked in my profile.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: **Here you go guys! Next chapter! Only three more to go and then it's done!

**OoOoO**

**The Female Specimen Enigma**

**Chapter 12**

Sheldon didn't think he had ever felt so comfortable before. As he slowly awoke to the bright sunlight and chirping birds, his eyes still closed, he stretched and yawned. When he opened his eyes, he was startled to realize he wasn't in his own bed. How strange…

Sitting up slowly, Sheldon looked around and his eyes fell on a sleeping Evelyn, who was sprawled out next to him, mostly buried under the comforter. Memories from the previous night flooded back to Sheldon and he found himself smiling in a satisfactory way. He had lost his virginity and for the first time in his life he wanted to stay in bed and go back to sleep. But nature was calling so he eased himself off his comfortable resting place, carefully so not to wake Evelyn, and made his way to the bathroom.

After he had done his business and taken a shower, he wrapped a towel around himself. He saw his clothes in a pile on the floor and he scolded himself for not taking the time to fold them properly. He contemplated putting his underwear on, but he decided against it. The first reason was because they were his Friday underwear, and the second reason was because he had already taken them off. There was no way he was putting already used underwear back on, especially after he had already taken a shower. He would just have to go bare underneath until he got back upstairs to change.

He needed to find a toothbrush so he opened her medicine cabinet. When his eyes focused on a small box of condoms, he froze. Yet, next to them was a prescription of birth control pills. A quick look informed him she had taken her pill the previous night and he relaxed considerably. He had to remember not to be so irresponsible in the future. After searching a bit more, he found a spare toothbrush still in its packaging. He used it to brush his teeth and then made a mental note to label it and get a protective box for it.

If he was going to be spending any time there, he needed to make sure he had the necessities covered.

Evelyn was still asleep, and while Sheldon wanted to sneak upstairs, grab some cereal and watch _Doctor Who_, he had a feeling that if he were to disappear before his new lover awoke, she would take it the wrong way. He looked around the bathroom for a bathrobe or something to cover up. Her linen closet had one folded under towels, so he assumed it was for guests.

He slipped it on, tiptoed back through her bedroom, where she had taken up the rest of the bed, and headed into the kitchen. She didn't keep her cereal on the refrigerator like he did. He spent several minutes searching until he found some cereal boxes in one of the lower cabinets. He moved them to where they could be viewed right away and arranged them numerically by fiber content. He was pleased to see she had Shredded Wheat so he poured himself a bowl, sat down in the armchair he had deemed his, and turned on the television.

He found it strange to do his normal routine in a strange place. _Doctor Who_ was an episode he had seen numerous times in the past, so he allowed his mind to wander to the situation he was in. He was sitting in a young woman's apartment, in a bathrobe, completely naked underneath, after a night of having intercourse.

These things were not something he had ever envisioned happening to him, but here he was. His thoughts traveled to the encounter he had had the previous night and he began to analyze what he had done right and what he could improve on. The first step would be making sure Evelyn received the same amount of pleasure from the experience as he had, though he knew there was no way to accurately measure such a thing.

Again, he would have to just bite the bullet and ask her while things were happening. It would be the only way to know for sure.

He was pulled out of his train of thought when he realized his show was over. He put his empty bowl in the sink and wandered back to the bedroom. Evelyn was still asleep, and Sheldon really wanted to go upstairs and put on some clothes. Not to mention, he wanted to update his social interaction log. He walked over to the bed and knocked three times on the headboard. "Evelyn?" Three more knocks. "Evelyn?" And of course, three more knocks. "Evelyn?"

He expected her to jump or scream like Penny usually did when he woke her and Leonard up that way, but she groaned sleepily and opened her eyes. "What time is it?" she mumbled, looking around for her digital clock.

"Past seven," Sheldon answered. "I want to go upstairs and get changed but I didn't want you to get the wrong impression when you woke up and I wasn't here."

Evelyn smiled sleepily and took his hand. "At the risk of sounding cliché," she said. "Can we snuggle for a bit?"

Sheldon sighed, but shrugged. There was no real harm. He climbed back into bed with her, only to have Evelyn sit up. Her hair was a curly, frizzy mess and she was rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Hold that thought," she said, before rushing into the bathroom to relieve herself and brush her teeth. Sheldon remained still in bed, lying on his back and looking up at the ceiling. He wondered how long he would be required to snuggle with her. He did have things to do that day.

When Evelyn emerged again, she looked a bit more awake and it seemed she had ran a comb through her hair, which now fell in soft waves. It was then that Sheldon realized she was still completely naked. He couldn't stop his eyes from being drawn to her body, raking over her curvaceous frame with appreciation he had never felt before.

"You okay?" she asked, making her way to the bed.

"Yes," Sheldon said blinking, confused. "Why would you ask?"

Evelyn shrugged as she crawled into bed next to him and draped herself over his chest. "No reason," she said. "You just look like you're not sure what to do."

"That's because I'm not," Sheldon said. "What's the typical protocol after a night of intercourse?" At Evelyn's look, he rolled his eyes. "I mean, sex?"

"There is no typical protocol," Evelyn said. "It varies from couple to couple. We can have some breakfast and then head upstairs if you'd like."

"I already had breakfast," Sheldon said. "I had some cereal and watched _Doctor Who_. It's my Saturday morning routine."

"Okay, fair enough," Evelyn said. "Then you can head upstairs and I can get ready for the day, and then join you later."

Sheldon made a move to get up, but Evelyn's grip turned vice like. "Not yet," she said, burying her face in his neck. "I'm not done with you yet."

"When will you be done with me?" Sheldon asked, not meaning to sound impatient. "How long do we have to snuggle?"

"As long as we want," Evelyn said smiling.

"And how long will that take? I have things I need to do," Sheldon said.

Evelyn sighed and pulled away. "Fine, go upstairs if you want," she said, an unusual bite to her voice. She was clearly upset and she turned away from him. "I was just trying to create some intimacy between us. I understand you have things to do. I'll be down here."

"Now I've upset you," Sheldon said, a bit angry with himself. Will he ever get the hang of this relationship thing?

"It's fine, Sheldon," Evelyn said. It clearly wasn't.

"I know what the word "fine" means when women say it that way," Sheldon told her, pulling her onto her back so that she would look at him. "I grew up with a mom and a twin sister. You are not fine. You know I am new to the idea of a relationship. If there is something I am doing wrong, or I am out of line, you have to tell me."

Evelyn sighed and ran a hand down his cheek. "I keep forgetting," she said, more to herself then to him. Now she seemed angry with herself. "I'm sorry. You can go upstairs if you'd like. I will shower and be up there in a bit."

"Are you sure?" Sheldon asked. When Evelyn nodded and gave him a quick kiss, the physicist got out of the warm, comfortable bed and went into the bathroom to put on his clothes. He found it strange to pull his pants on over no underwear, but he really didn't have a choice. He still had no desire to put on his Friday briefs. He was wondering what to do with his discarded underwear, when Evelyn called to him.

"If you don't want to carry your underwear upstairs, leave it in my hamper," she said. "I do laundry on Sundays and I will get them done tomorrow." Sheldon found it strange she seemed to know so much about him, yet so little at the same time.

"You should do laundry tonight," Sheldon said. "Tonight is laundry night. I do laundry every Saturday night at 8:15. If you do yours tonight, I can wash my underwear with the rest of my clothes."

Evelyn shrugged. "Maybe," she said. "I'll probably do mine tomorrow."

"But tonight is laundry night," Sheldon said.

"Yes it is, Sheldon," Evelyn said. "For you. Tomorrow is laundry night for me."

"But all my laundry needs to be washed on laundry night," Sheldon said.

"You can wash your laundry tonight," Evelyn said confused. "Does it really matter that one pair of underwear is going to be washed tomorrow, instead of tonight?"

"Of course it does," Sheldon said. "There is one night of the week that is dedicated to laundry night, and that's Saturday, at 8:15pm. All my laundry is done at that specific time."

Evelyn sighed because she knew she wasn't going to win this argument. "Fine," she said. "I will do laundry with you tonight so that you can wash one pair of underwear with the rest of your clothes."

She was surprised when she saw Sheldon grin. "This is the first time you have fallen victim to one of Sheldon Cooper's practical jokes," he said, crossing the room to the bedroom door. "I just tricked you into spending more time with me! Bazinga!" He dodged a pillow that came flying at his head and he left Evelyn's apartment in high spirits. He got all the way to the door of his own apartment, when he thought of the fact that Leonard and Penny would surely notice that he hadn't come home last night. And even if they didn't know already, when he walked in wearing the same clothes he had worn the night before, they would certainly have a clue.

Having no choice, and really wanting to change into fresh clothes, Sheldon opened the apartment door. Leonard and Penny were in the kitchen, getting their morning coffee ready. "Good morning," he said, closing the door behind him.

"Sheldon?" Leonard asked. "Where were you?"

"At Evelyn's," Sheldon said, calmly making his way across the room. He still wasn't clear if they knew he had been out all night. They both seemed to not care and he thought he was home free, until Penny spoke up.

"Um, Sweetie," she said. "Weren't those the same clothes you were wearing yesterday?"

Sheldon's face twitched. "No," he said.

"Sheldon…" Penny said slowly, a smile spreading across her face. "Where you at Evelyn's all night?"

Sheldon was torn. They knew. It was obvious. But he pride wouldn't let him answer truthfully. He had never thought he would be in this situation and part of him foolishly hoped that if he continued to deny it, they would leave him alone. This was very false thinking. He sighed heavily. "Yes, I was," he said. "Now if you excuse me, I have to change my clothes."

"Sheldon, wait," Leonard said, stopping him from going any closer to his room. "Sit down. We have to talk to you about something."

"If it is the intercourse talk, then you are late," Sheldon said, walking over to his spot and sitting down heavily. "Wolowitz already had the talk with me. And I already know the basics."

"You actually had sex?" Penny exclaimed. "I was thinking you just spent the night!" Sheldon knew his ears were red and he cursed himself for giving his, not so secret, secret away.

"Penny, not now," Leonard said. He then paused when he thought over her words and Sheldon's reaction. "Really? What happened to just telling her what you were feeling?"

"I did tell her what I was feeling," Sheldon assured him. "She just responded with more enthusiasm then I previously anticipated."

"Aww, Sheldon lost his virginity last night," Penny said. "This calls for a celebration pie."

"Not now," Leonard repeated. "Sheldon, something happened last night that you need to be aware of."

"Did someone use my toothbrush?" Sheldon asked with alarm.

"No."

"Did someone go into my room?"

"No, listen-"

"Did they finally successfully invent time travel?"

"No! Damn it, listen-"

"Did someone make fun of trains?"

"NO!" Leonard snapped. "Sheldon, Penny and I ran into a man last night and we think it was Ken."

"Ken who?" Sheldon asked.

"Ken! Evelyn's crazy ex-boyfriend! He was standing outside the building when we went for frozen yogurt," Penny spoke up, now that she remembered why they needed to speak with Sheldon.

"He asked us if we saw a young woman with green eyes and red hair," Leonard explained. "We told him no and were very adamant about it, but we're not sure if he believed us."

Sheldon took the information in, several different emotions swimming through him. The biggest one was fear. He actually feared for Evelyn. But he had no idea how to the approach the situation or what they needed to do next. He went over their words again. "You said you thought you saw Ken," he said. "How do you know it was actually him? Have you seen a picture? Statistically speaking, many people have green eyes and red hair."

"You don't believe in coincidences," Leonard pointed out.

"I don't have to believe in them for them to be true," Sheldon said.

"Sheldon, Honey," Penny said. "We are pretty positive it was him."

"I have to see Evelyn and warn her," he said, getting up off the couch. "She needs to know so that she can be careful. We need to disguise her when she leaves the apartment…no, she can't leave the apartment. We'll have to do her deliveries for her." He was halfway across the living room before he remembered his clothing and lack of underwear. He turned around the walked back the way he had came. "New plan. I go change into underwear and fresh clothes. You two head downstairs and speak to Evelyn." He was already almost to his room when he finished speaking, and Penny and Leonard didn't have to time to react.

When they heard him close his door, Penny turned to Leonard. "He's not wearing underwear," she said, not being able to take the giggle out of her voice.

Leonard rolled his eyes and with a shake of his head, put down his coffee mug and gestured for Penny to follow him.

**OoOoO**

Once again, Evelyn found herself pacing around her apartment, though this time it was an entirely different situation and an entirely different feeling of nervousness. How could he have found her? She had been very careful and had not ever left a forwarding address. Her business' website had no listing of her address and there was no place for former clients to speak with each other, thus eliminating the possibility of them letting her address slip. She also hadn't had any new or old clients visit her apartment yet.

She also had a very strict restraining order against him that forbade any contact of any kind.

"Are you sure it was him?" she asked her friends.

Penny and Leonard nodded. "We're pretty sure," Leonard said. "There was something not right about him. I've lived here for many years and I have never seen him before."

"Do you have a picture of him, so we can verify?" Penny asked.

Evelyn shrugged. "I left most of that when I took off," she said, rifling through her bookshelf. She pulled out a photo album and handed it to them. "He may be in the background in here. These are from college." She resumed her pacing while Leonard and Penny carefully looked through her photo album. She nearly jumped out of her skin when there was a knock on her door. But when it was followed by two more knocks and her name, she knew it was just Sheldon and relaxed.

She opened the door for him and practically threw herself in his arms. He hugged her instinctively and could feel her trembling against him. "I don't know how he found me," she said, her voice shaky and broken. "I was so careful!"

"It's okay," Sheldon said. This was the first time he had ever used this phrase, especially when he was so unsure that it was true. He had never been one to sugar coat things, but he could see how in this occasion, it fit. "There, there." He noticed Leonard and Penny looking at a photo album. "Is now really the time for a stroll down memory lane?"

"They're looking through my pictures to see if it was really Ken they saw," she explained as Sheldon walked completely into the apartment and she locked the door behind him.

"Any luck?" Sheldon asked.

When the two looked up, he knew what their grim faces meant. "It was him," Penny said, showing Sheldon a photo of Evelyn with two of her friends, and a man in the background. Sheldon memorized the face, part of him hoping this would be the only time he ever saw it. "He's a little fatter and his hair is shorter, but it was definitely him." Evelyn didn't seem like she could hold back her emotions any longer and she burst into tears. She ran straight for her room and slammed the door behind her.

"What do we do now?" Sheldon asked. "What's the protocol for this?"

"Protocol for what? A crazy ex-boyfriend finding the girl that left him?" Leonard asked.

They both turned to Penny.

The blonde glared at them. "Why are you both looking at me?" she asked.

"You're the one with the most relationship advice," Leonard pointed out.

"Not to mention the fact that you have had numerous relationships with men that were less adequate then you liked," Sheldon spoke up. "Many of them you left, for lack of a better phrase, "high and dry"."

"You both are hopeless and you both suck," Penny said rolling her eyes. "Go to the hardware store and pick up some new locks for her door. Deadbolt. Also, something to lock the window in her bedroom. She has a fire escape there. While you're out, notify the landlord. Tell him the situation and show him this picture," she pulled the picture of Ken out of the album. "Also, inform him about the new locks, just so that he is aware. Next, stop at the police station and tell them about the restraining order and that Ken has violated it."

"When they arrest him, won't he realize that he was close?" Leonard asked worriedly as he and Sheldon made their way to the front door.

"That doesn't matter," Penny said. "He knows he's not supposed to be within a certain number of feet of Evelyn and he knows that he will be arrested if he is. I don't think that he believed us, so where she lives is probably not a secret anymore."

"Well what are you going to do?" Sheldon asked.

"I'm going to stay with Evelyn and try to calm her down and look for the restraining order so that I can give you the info when you get to the station," Penny said. "Call me when you guys get there. I don't know when Ken will be back so make it quick."

"Penny," Sheldon said as Leonard opened the door. "Please tell her that I care about her. I'm not sure what to do in this situation. But I am still interested in being with her. She once said that when certain men hear that a woman has a hard past they run away. I'm still here."

Penny smiled and hugged Sheldon. "I will tell her, Honey," she said. "Now go!"

The two men hurried to do their tasks, while Penny went to comfort her friend.

**OoOoO**

**A/N:** A good stopping point, though it is a little short and I apologize. If I got farther, I'll put too much into one chapter. Please review!


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:** Sorry took a little while. Had to edit this chapter too ;)

**OoOoO**

**The Female Specimen Enigma**

**Chapter 13**

It didn't take long for Sheldon and Leonard to do everything Penny had asked them. The landlord seemed less than impressed when they informed him about the new locks, but when they explained the situation, he understood. He informed them he would call a tenants meeting and explain to them that Ken was not to be allowed access or entrance to the building.

The police weren't very helpful at first because Sheldon and Leonard didn't have the restraining order information. After Penny was able to find it and called the two, an arrest warrant was put out for Ken. Sheldon made it a point to stop by a pizza parlor on the way home so he could purchase Evelyn's favorite food. He felt it might help her a little. He had no idea what else to do.

When they got back to the building, Penny was still speaking with Evelyn, who was held up in her room.

"She won't come out," she said worriedly. "She stopped responding about five minutes ago. I'm worried."

"Here, let me," Sheldon said, handing Leonard the pizza box. He took a deep breath and tried the doorknob. The door was locked. "Well, I'm out of ideas."

Penny rolled her eyes and shoved Sheldon out of the way.

"Evelyn, Honey please open the door! You don't have to be afraid of him anymore!" Penny said desperately. There was still no answer. Sheldon moved Penny away from the door.

"Evelyn? It's me...Sheldon," he said, not really knowing what to say. "Please open the door. I'm worried about you. And usually I don't worry about things unless that thing is me...or comics...or Thai food...or germs..."

"He's stuck, help him," Leonard said to Penny, who immediately smacked Sheldon in the back of the head.

Sheldon glared heavily at the blonde woman before turning back to Evelyn's door. "Please, Evelyn, you don't have to let Penny and Leonard in," he said. "At least let me know that you're okay."

There was still silence for a moment, then they heard the rustling of the bed sheets and footsteps walking over to the door. The lock made a soft _click _as it was undone and Sheldon carefully tried the knob. Meeting no resistance this time, he opened the door and poked his head into the room. Evelyn was sitting on the end of her bed. Her eyes were swollen and red and there were tear tracks down her cheeks. Sheldon never saw something so sad and heart wrenching before in his life.

He let himself into the room and sat next to her on the bed. Leonard and Penny remained in the doorway, silent.

"Evelyn, I know you're scared," Sheldon said. He really didn't know how to continue the statement. He was sure nothing he could say would help her, only make matters worse, but he felt as though he owed it to her to try. They had been intimate. He should try and lend her some kind of support. "But it's going to be alright. The police know. They said they would have an officer patrolling the area until Ken is caught. We bought you new locks. The landlord is going to let everyone in the building know not to let Ken in...you will be fine."

Evelyn looked at Sheldon and again his heart wrenched. He never wanted to see her look so sad and defeated again. She still remained silent and he didn't know what else to say.

"Would it help if we did something sexual?" he asked.

Penny buried her face in her hands, while Leonard sighed and looked towards the ceiling, as he did so well. To Sheldon's relief however, Evelyn cracked a smile. She seemed to think what he had said was funny because she began to chuckle. She wrapped her arms around his neck and practically crawled into his lap for a hug. Sheldon immediately put his arms around her waist and held her.

He didn't know what he had said to make her laugh. He supposed the sexual remark might have been inappropriate, but he had been out of options. Thankfully, she didn't seem offended by his joke. When she pulled away, she wiped the last of the tears from her eyes and took a huge, shaky breath.

"Thank you," she said, patting his hand. She looked at Leonard and Penny. "All three of you. Just...thank you. It really means a lot to me that you are going through all this trouble."

"It's no trouble," Leonard assured her as he and Penny entered the room and he placed the pizza box on her dresser. "Honestly, we want to help you Evelyn. You're our friend."

"Totally," Penny said, sitting on Evelyn's other side, while Leonard knelt in front of Evelyn. "That bastard isn't going to get passed us. We love you and we will do anything to protect you."

Evelyn smiled and gave a grateful nod. Sheldon, Penny and Leonard leaned in at the same time and enveloped Evelyn into a warm embrace.

**OoOoO**

Sheldon was just pulling his first load of clothes out of the dryer when he heard footsteps behind him. He turned and was pleasantly surprised to see Evelyn standing there with a laundry basket and a small smile. The redness was almost completely gone from her eyes. She looked as if she had just had a refreshing shower. As she walked up to him, Sheldon caught scent of her familiar vanilla and honey fragrance. He was surprised when the smell aroused him slightly.

"I'm glad you came out of your apartment," he said, genuinely happy.

"Well, I did say I was going to do laundry with you," Evelyn said, walking over to one of the empty washers. "Sorry I'm late. I had to take a long shower to try and relax."

Sheldon nodded understandingly, before informing her of which dryers would be the best for which load of laundry. Once Evelyn had her clothes going. She joined Sheldon by the folding table and watched him fold his clothes with his folding board. There was no conversation, and Sheldon wasn't sure if Evelyn was waiting for him to say something.

"Am I supposed to say something?" he asked when he caught Evelyn watching him.

She smiled softly again, a small smile that didn't reach her eyes or make them sparkle like Sheldon liked. "No, you don't have to say anything," she said.

"From what I understand it is the boyfriend's job to cheer up the girlfriend when she is unhappy," Sheldon said. "Please, tell me what I can do to make you happy again. I can't seem to think of anything."

"Sheldon, that's very sweet, but I don't think there's anything you can do," Evelyn said. "Just you still being here is helping enough."

"Being here?" Sheldon asked. "In the laundry room?"

Evelyn chuckled. "No," she said, wrapping her arms around his waist and placing her head on his arm. "Being with me...still. Knowing you're here for me helps."

Sheldon understood what she was saying, but that didn't mean he understood her reasoning or meaning. "I still feel as if there is something I can do for you," he said.

Evelyn sighed. "Would you mind if I slept over at your place tonight?" she asked. "Wolowitz, Penny, Leonard and Raj aren't installing the locks until tomorrow. And until they do..."

While her statement was left unfinished, Sheldon was surprised he understood what she was trying to say. "Alright," he said. "You can sleep in our apartment. I'll make up the couch for you."

"Well...I had another idea," Evelyn said. "Why don't I sleep with you? In your room?"

"Oh, no one is allowed in my room," Sheldon said, folding the last shirt of his first load. "The couch is just as comfortable."

Evelyn placed her hand on his cheek and turned his face to look at hers. "Sheldon, I need to sleep next to someone tonight," she said. "I feel safe sleeping with you. I can't be alone right now."

Sheldon knew he had no choice. He sighed, but nodded in agreement. The day Sheldon Cooper knowingly allowed a woman to stay in his room with him was the day that there was a serious disturbance in the force. Apparently that day was this day.

They finished up their laundry and after Evelyn put hers away, and gathered some toiletries and things she would need for the next day, they headed up to Leonard and Sheldon's apartment. Howard and Raj were busy playing Halo when the couple entered. Penny was at her place and Leonard was typing away on his computer.

Sheldon wasn't sure what to say to them. "I have an announcement," he said. He missed Evelyn's affectionate sigh and eye roll. "Evelyn will be staying here until we are sure her apartment is secure. I would expect that you three will respect her privacy. Now it is late and we are going to bed...good night."

Giving the boys a mock salute, Evelyn followed Sheldon through the living room. Her smile, while still not the extent it was before, was a bit wider. She watched as Howard and Raj just stared in shock and awe as she followed Sheldon to his room. Once they were inside, Sheldon closed the door. As he put his stuff away, she changed into her night clothes.

Sheldon didn't see what she was wearing until he finished putting his clothes away and turned to face her. He was a little stunned to see her wearing a powder blue nightie, with spaghetti straps. The bottom of the nightie barely reached her knees and was trimmed with lace. When Evelyn climbed into bed, Sheldon caught a glimpse of a matching thong.

He wasn't sure what to do with himself. Quickly, he gathered his clothes for a shower and took off to the bathroom. While he was washing, he toyed with the idea of getting rid of his Evelyn induced problem by himself, but he figured if he took too long she would grow suspicious and realize what he was up to. Mortified at the idea of her catching him, he innocently washed himself and went back to his room.

Evelyn was snuggled under the blankets when he returned, and he closed the door once more and turned off the light. He had forgotten about his light sensitive night light, which turned on as soon as it got dark. It cast a faint, yellow glow around the room. "If that bothers you, I can turn off the night light," he said, making his way across the room towards it.

Evelyn shook her head. "No, that's okay," she said. "It helps. Come to bed."

Before when Sheldon had slept in the same bed as Evelyn, it had been a spur of the moment decision, brought on by fatigue and an intense orgasm. Now he found himself shaking as he crawled in next to her. It seemed to wrong to have someone else in his bed with him, but it also seemed right that it was Evelyn.

As soon as he lay down next to her, she wrapped herself around him and buried her face in his neck. "Thank you," she said. "I know this must be hard for you."

At the word 'hard', Sheldon remembered his earlier problem and stiffened in more than one way. He knew Evelyn knew immediately. Her thigh was right there. He was surprised that she didn't freeze, but he did feel her pull away slightly.

"You cannot blame my body for its reaction to your provocative clothing," Sheldon said defensively. "I would be perfectly fine if I hadn't caught sight of your supple breasts and firm buttocks."

He saw Evelyn's cheeks flush and before he knew it, her warm, tasty mouth was pressed against his. She was kissing him feverishly, her hands running across every part of his body she could find. Taken aback, Sheldon carefully took her upper arms and pushed her away until their lips broke contact.

"Evelyn, I don't think you are in an appropriate state of mind to do this," Sheldon said. "I would feel as if I was taking advantage of you."

"Then let me take advantage of you," Evelyn said in a voice Sheldon had never heard before. He didn't know what was going on with her, but she began to kiss him again, with the same ferocity she had started with.

Still confused, he pushed her gently away again. "Evelyn, are you sure?" he asked. "I don't understand."

Evelyn was practically panting as she stared down at Sheldon. She realized she needed to explain to him. "I need to be in control of something," she said. "I just need to feel something other than fear or anger."

"And this is what you need to feel?" Sheldon asked, trying to work through her logic with his own mind. It wasn't really working.

Evelyn nodded and straddled Sheldon's lap. "I want you," she said, breathless. "I need you. I need you inside me. I want to ride you."

If he hadn't been aroused before, he definitely would have been at her words. If possible he felt his penis harden even more and it began pressing against his pants, trying to seek what she had just offered. Sheldon realized she wasn't waiting for his permission or his go ahead this time. This was about her.

She shimmed down his legs and pulled his pants down, taking his underwear with it. With shaking fingers Sheldon began unbuttoning his shirt, but Evelyn grabbed the fabric and tugged. It ripped open easier and Sheldon heard buttons hit the floor. Her nightie was carelessly tugged over her head and she tossed that into a corner as well.

Sheldon could tell she was very aroused and he was surprised. From his position underneath her, he had a brilliant view of her breasts and he couldn't help stare at them. Seeing him stare, she grabbed his hands and made him touch her. The tingles AND the fire hit Sheldon full force at her movements and he knew there was no way he could deny her. She needed this and he really wanted it. No. He needed to let her take it.

Her eyes were closed and she seemed to be trying to lose herself in the experience. He barely felt her hand on him, until he found himself once again surrounded by her. The feeling was just as amazing as it had been the first time. There was a brief moment of panic when Sheldon realized he couldn't slow down this way if Evelyn was in pain.

But she began to move immediately and it didn't seem as if she felt anything other than pleasure. Sheldon's hands gripped her waist and they moved together slowly at first as Sheldon kept his eyes on Evelyn's face. Eventually he noticed the small wrinkle on her forehead vanished as she finally was able to let go and just feel the experience. He was aware she was making the most intoxicating whimpering noises and moans. He was finding everything about her intoxicating: her smell, her soft skin, her hands dragging harshly across his chest...

Sheldon lost himself too.

He couldn't remember where he was or what day it was. All he knew was the sound of her pleasure and his name coming from her lips.

The bed was squeaking loudly and the headboard was banging incessantly against the wall. He suddenly noticed a switch in Evelyn's movements. They became more frenzied. Her nails clawed at his chest, her chest began to heave, her moans became louder...

At that moment, he watched as Evelyn arched her back and threw her head back as she shrieked his name one final time. He finished almost immediately after her, before they both collapsed into a sweaty, shaking mass of limbs, sweat and release.

**OoOoO**

The living room was silent. Penny still stood by the door where she had entered moments ago. Raj and Howard were still on the couch, while Leonard sat at his desk, unblinking. All four stared at the hallway in shock, awe and fear.

"Oh...my...God," Howard managed to say.

**OoOoO**

**A/N: **And there it is. A little shorter than I wanted, but thank you so much for waiting! Please review! Again, the "non-edited" version of this is linked in my profile.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N:** Here it is, the second to last chapter! Thanks to everyone who read and enjoyed this story!

**OoOoO**

**The Female Specimen Enigma**

**Chapter 14**

The gang didn't know what to do.

"Um," Penny said. "Was it just me or did I just hear Sheldon and Evelyn making mad passionate love?"

"Uh," Leonard said, miming her confusion. "No, it wasn't just you…we heard it too."

Penny closed the door behind her, but she didn't seem to know what to do after that. Raj just sat staring off into space, seemingly in shock. Leonard had his face buried in his hand. It was Howard who was the next to speak.

"This may be the wrong thing to say," he said. "But does anyone else want to go hear if they're doing more stuff?"

"What is wrong with you?" Leonard and Penny both exclaimed.

But Howard didn't listen. He got up off the couch and headed to the hallway.

"Howard…" Leonard said warningly rising from his desk chair to chase after him.

"Get back here you pig," Penny said, following them.

Howard was too quick for them and he was already to Sheldon's bedroom door by the time they caught up to him.

"Howard Wolowitz, you get back here you little creep!" Penny hissed, making a grab for the small man, which he dodged.

Howard shushed them and put his ear to the door.

"I cannot believe you are doing this!" Leonard whispered.

"Yes, I know, I'm a horrible person, now shush," Howard hissed.

After a few moments of silence, Penny couldn't take it anymore and pressed her ear to the door and Leonard followed right after.

"I don't hear anything," Penny whispered.

"Maybe they fell asleep," Leonard said. "Come on, we shouldn't be doing this."

Before they could stop him, Howard grabbed the doorknob and opened the door a crack. Poking his head in slightly, he gasped at what he saw. He had expected to see them cuddling under the blankets tucked in neatly with their clothes carefully folded in a corner of the room.

He did not expect to see clothes strewn around the room and Sheldon to be sprawled out on his back with a torn shirt and Evelyn draped across his chest, her face buried in his neck as she lay naked. There were no blankets around them and their bodies were completely exposed.

Howard immediately closed the door again. "I just saw more of Sheldon than I ever wanted to see," he said, stepping away from the door. "But kudos to him for catching Evelyn. She is h-o-o-o-o-t!"

Curious, Penny took his spot and peeked inside Sheldon's room. Like Howard, she didn't remain staring for long. "Um," she said as she closed the door. "Wow…Did either of you know that Sheldon was kind of a horse?"

"What?" Howard asked.

"Yeah, what are you talking about?" Leonard asked.

"I just poked my head in there and saw, well, all of Sheldon," Penny said. "And…it's…bigger than I thought it would be…"

"What is?" Leonard asked.

"You know," Penny said. "His…thing."

Leonard and Howard looked confused. "Come again?" they asked in disbelief. They had never seen Sheldon as a sexual being who had a penis, let alone had imagined what size his penis was. They were guy friends; there were always jokes about the size of their penises. Sheldon had always ignored them…which wasn't surprising seeing as he ignored them when it came to a lot of things.

Penny put her hands up in surrender. "I saw what I saw," she said moving away from the door. "If you don't believe me…see for yourself."

Now the morbid curiosity was contagious and Howard and Leonard had to see for themselves. They opened the door and poked their heads inside. Shocked and confused, they hurriedly closed the door, making it click louder than they meant for it to.

**OoOoO**

"Danger!" Sheldon gasped as he violently awoke to a small noise.

He tried to sit up and caused Evelyn to roll off his chest. He could have sworn he had heard voices and as he strained his Vulcan hearing, he waited for a few moments before he was satisfied that he must have been overreacting.

It was then that he recalled his nakedness from the waist down and his now button-less night shirt. He shrugged the material off and sat, unsure of what to do next. Evelyn was in a deep sleep, completely naked next to him. Part of Sheldon wanted to wake her up so he could change the sheets, but another part of him reasoned that would not be something Evelyn would appreciate.

Sheldon was torn. He also couldn't find his underwear. His brief adrenaline rush that had awakened him was gone within minutes however, and he felt physically drained. He was curious to know how long it would take for him to build his stamina up, not only to make their sexual experiences last longer, but to also make it so he wasn't so exhausted after. Deciding to just rest for a moment, Sheldon laid down on his side, facing Evelyn's back. Her skin looked so smooth and she was radiating warmth.

Without thinking, Sheldon reached out and slowly ran his hand down her back. She shivered slightly and, without warning, scooted back, pressing against Sheldon's chest. He froze. What was he supposed to do in this situation? Was this that spooning thing he had been reading about? How was he supposed to proceed?

Slowly Sheldon slid his arm across Evelyn's waist, placing his hand on her stomach. With a sleepy groan, Evelyn snuggled against him even more and clutched his hand. Sheldon couldn't believe how good it felt to have her sleeping in his arms, her warm body simply resting against him.

Sheldon had a sudden thought that made him curious. Was he in love with Evelyn? It was the only logical explanation for him allowing her in his bed, for the sudden increase in his heart rate that always seemed to happen when she was around and for his willingness to fiercely protect her.

Also, if he didn't have some deep feelings for Evelyn, he would have never taken her as his lover.

"Evelyn?" he called softly. He waited a moment, but she didn't respond. "Evelyn?" She mumbled something in her sleep and stretched, but that was all. "Evelyn?"

At last she stirred sleepily and mumbled something that sounded like, "Hmm?"

"I believe that there may be the small possibility that my feelings for you have escalated to a higher level than previously anticipated," Sheldon whispered.

"That's nice, Sheldon," Evelyn mumbled. She turned on her other side so she was facing him and buried herself in his chest, her arm now wrapped around his waist.

Finding himself smiling, Sheldon wrapped his arms around her tighter and buried his face in her hair. Within minutes he was asleep again.

The next time he awoke, the sun was shining into his room and Evelyn was curled in a ball on the other side of the bed. Sheldon found himself hording the comforter so he adjusted it so it covered both of them. Once again he found himself not wanting to get out of bed. Seeing as it was Sunday, he knew he really didn't have to get up. But nature was calling so Sheldon slipped out of bed and covered himself with his robe.

Putting on his slippers, he quietly left the room to go relieve himself and brush his teeth. After he did his business in the bathroom, he went into the kitchen to put the coffee on for Evelyn. He knew she liked coffee and would probably appreciate a large cup. Leonard had beaten him to it however. He was in the kitchen, stirring sugar into his own coffee.

"Morning, Sheldon," Leonard said, trying to not make eye contact with his roommate. He was still feeling ashamed and awkward about the situation that had happened the previous night.

"And a good morning to you, Leonard," Sheldon said brightly. "You might be happy to note that Evelyn and I had a splendid sexual encounter last night and after I grab her a cup of coffee, I will return to bed to commence morning snuggling."

Leonard rubbed his forehead with his hand. "Yes, Sheldon," he said. "We ALL know you had a splendid sexual encounter with your girlfriend." When Sheldon gave him a quizzical look, he added. "We heard you last night."

Eyes wide, Sheldon felt what he assumed was slight embarrassment. "I see," he said. "Thank you for letting me know. We will be sure to keep the volume down next time. Oh Evelyn is not going to like this."

"I'm sure she'll live," Leonard said, handing Sheldon a coffee mug. His eyes narrowed questioningly. "Are you wearing anything under your robe?"

Sheldon pulled a food tray out from under the sink and placed it on the counter. "No, I'm not," he said conversationally as he placed the carton of milk and the container of sugar on the tray. "For some reason, when I awoke this morning, I did not feel the need to wear clothes right away. It's actually a bit freeing." He took the cup Leonard had offered him and went to the coffee pot.

"As long as you keep the robe on, I'm fine with it," Leonard said, taking a large sip of his coffee.

Just then, Penny entered from the hall, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Morning, Leonard," she said, giving her boyfriend a kiss on the cheek. When she saw Sheldon, she grinned. "Well good morning, Sheldon. It sounded like you had a pretty good night last night."

"Pretty good is an understatement," Sheldon said, placing the coffee mug carefully on the tray. "Though I suppose saying it was a bazinga of a night would be a bit of an overstatement as well."

"Oh you go right ahead and say it was a bazinga of a night," Penny said smiling as she took the cup of coffee Leonard had already prepared for her. "By the way, congrats on…well…your bazinga."

Leonard glared at Penny.

Sheldon looked confused. "I don't follow," he said.

Leonard gave Penny a warning shake of the head, but that didn't stop his girlfriend from proceeding. "Well, you know," Penny said. "Congrats on the size of your…bazinga…"

Hoping that Sheldon would remain blissfully unaware of what Penny meant, Leonard was surprised when understanding seemed to flash across his roommate's face.

"Penny," Sheldon said. "You wouldn't happen to be referring to the size of my penis, would you?"

Blunt as always.

"Yes, Sheldon," Penny said in a hollow tone. He had really taken all the fun out of the innuendo.

"And just how on Earth did you get a look at my penis?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"Well for one thing, your robe is a bit open," Penny said, gesturing to the material as she held her coffee cup. Sheldon quickly fixed his robe, closing it tighter around himself. "And for another, me, Leonard and Howard sort of…peeked into your room last night."

Leonard buried his face in his hands, while Sheldon's eyebrows shot up. "You did WHAT?" he asked.

"Come on! After what we heard?" Penny exclaimed. "Can you blame us for being so curious?"

Sheldon seemed to think over her words before he sighed and uncrossed his arms. "No, I suppose not," he said. "But now that you've satisfied your curiosity, please respect the privacy of me and my lover." Grabbing the tray with Evelyn's coffee, Sheldon made his way towards his room.

"I cannot believe you told him that!" he heard Leonard hiss to Penny.

He put the two in the back of his thoughts as he entered his room and found Evelyn sprawled across the bed. He normally would have found it rude for someone to take up the entire bed, but when it was Evelyn, it was endearing. Carefully, he placed the tray on his nightstand and removed his robe. Slipping into bed again, he gently shook the redhead awake.

Evelyn slowly awoke, pushing her unruly hair out of her eyes.

"Good morning," Sheldon said smiling. "I brought you some coffee. I don't know how you take it but I brought you some milk and sugar. We don't have creamer since Leonard is lactose intolerant, but if you'd like, I can have him go get some."

Evelyn smiled sleepily and patted his hand. "It's okay, Sheldon," she said, her voice raspy from sleep. "Milk is fine." She yawned loudly and after a minute or so sat up. "I'm sorry I sort of jumped on you last night. I'm never aggressive like that."

"Oh I enjoyed it," Sheldon said. "More importantly I managed not to orgasm until after you did. By the way, was your orgasm as intense as it looked? You did release fluid that is typically associated with continual stimulation of the woman's "G-Spot" as it is referred to."

Evelyn buried her face in her hands as she felt her cheeks turn red.

"Now I've embarrassed you, I'm sorry," Sheldon said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Removing her hands from her face and trying to cover her red cheeks with her fingers, Evelyn stared at Sheldon. She always forgot how blunt he was. It was so refreshing to have someone who was not afraid to be brutally honest with her.

"Sheldon, it's fine," Evelyn said, taking his hand. "You were amazing last night."

"On a semi-related topic, Penny and Leonard said that they peeked in the room last night and they told made me aware of something I think you need to know," Sheldon said. "Apparently, my penis size is what one might consider "above average"."

"Believe me, Sheldon, I knew that already."

"Oh good."

Evelyn grinned again before she yawned and sat up. After a few minutes, she seemed to be looking around for something, and Sheldon concluded that he knew what it was.

"If you are trying to find those strips of fabric you referred to as underwear, here," Sheldon said, picking up the, now ruined, thong from the floor. "I don't think they would do you much good now."

Evelyn grinned. "It's okay," she said. "I can just go without underwear."

"I find the thought of you walking around without underwear on under your clothes very arousing," he said with a smile and his head tilted to the side.

"Good, as it should be," Evelyn said. She scooted across the bed and climbed over Sheldon to reach the other side. There was a brief moment when he felt their naked bodies brush against each other and he shivered slightly with pleasure. Evelyn grinned and climbed off Sheldon and the bed. He barely had time to stare at her naked body before she scooped up his robe and covered herself.

"I'll be back," she said. "Just gonna hit the bathroom." Sheldon watched her walk to the door, before she turned around and smirked. "And don't get dressed; I'm not quite finished with you yet."

**OoOoO**

**A/N:** Once again, a very good stopping point. Please review and I will try to get the last chapter up soon!


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N:** Okay, here it is guys, the last chapter of TFSE. I thank everyone who has read, reviewed or just enjoyed the story.

**OoOoO**

**The Female Specimen Enigma**

**Chapter 15**

"Wow, it's a Saturday night and there is absolutely nothing on TV," Evelyn mumbled as Sheldon flipped through the channels.

About three weeks had passed since the day the physicist realized he was feeling something akin to love. He hasn't quite tested his hypothesis; therefore he felt it unwise to relay his feelings to Evelyn until he had a solid foundation. She did not seem to mind, however. Once her apartment had been secured, she returned to baking. Not comfortable making deliveries at the present time, Evelyn took to working on recipes.

It had taken about a week or two, but she eventually left her apartment after the incident with Penny, Leonard and Ken. She was never alone, however. Sheldon was always with her, when she wasn't at work and if he couldn't be around, Leonard and Penny filled in. On occasion, Raj and Howard stepped up to escort her.

Sheldon was happy to see that Evelyn wasn't letting the Ken incident bring her down. He found he was enjoying her company more than he had ever enjoyed anyone's company. They spent many nights in each other's arms.

"There's always the Babylon 5 marathon on Sy-Fy," Sheldon said, before giving the short chuckle he usually gave after a joke.

Evelyn grimaced. "Eww," was all she said.

Sheldon put a hand over his heart, as he had been doing lately every time something Evelyn said made his heart skip a beat. He looked at her lovingly. "I know I keep saying this," he said. "But I am very glad you enjoy many of the same things that I do."

Evelyn smiled and kissed him on the lips. "Me too, Babe," she said. She had taken to calling Sheldon "Babe" several days into their relationship and it was quickly growing on him. It was an endearment that she reserved only for him. "Do you know what else I like?" From the tone of her voice, Sheldon knew she was going to refer to something sexual.

"I would say 'I can guess' but we both know that wouldn't be right," Sheldon said. "I know what you like."

"Really?" came the coy response. "And what's that?"

Sheldon blushed, which he found he only did when he was alone with Evelyn. "You're going to make me say it, aren't you?" he asked.

Raised eyebrows and a smug smirk were his answer.

Sheldon sighed. "You like it when we do, as you put it, 'dirty things' to each other," he said. Evelyn grinned and sat up. Turning Sheldon's face towards hers, she pulled him into a deep kiss. The tall man returned it just as eagerly. He found that now that his libido was being constantly stimulated, all Evelyn had to do was kiss him to get him going again. It was an increasingly frustrating annoyance that he could not control the sex drive he had suddenly developed. When they pulled away from the kiss, he spoke.

"Leonard and Penny are not due back from their date for awhile," he said. "We do have time to enjoy a round of intercourse until they return. If this encounter follows the same escalation of time as the others, which it will since my math is always right, we will gain another five to ten minutes of intercourse."

But Evelyn had a grin on her face that told Sheldon that she had plans for them. "Here's an idea," she said, slipping her hand into his pants without warning. Sheldon jumped, before he shuddered as her fingers wrapped around him. "Why don't we just have some fun right here?"

"Here?" Sheldon asked, his voice squeaking slightly. "Our friends sit on this couch. And more importantly, this is my spot…"

"Sheldon," Evelyn said in a low, sultry voice as she released him. She straddled his lap and it was then that Sheldon understood the reasoning behind her wearing a skirt for the day. "You can still be in your spot…you'll just be hitting mine at the same time."

Her next kiss was enough to convince him that she had a brilliant idea and he wrapped his arms around her, kissing her back fiercely. Shirts were removed and Sheldon's pants and underwear were shoved to his ankles. Evelyn wore no bra or underwear, both of which she only did when they were alone. Soon he was surrounded by her, something that he had grown addicted to.

Sheldon allowed his head to fall back against the couch as Evelyn nibbled his neck and began to move her hips in a tantalizing way. They had quickly discovered, after the night she had aggressively molested him, that having Evelyn on top was extremely pleasurable for both. Evelyn liked it because she was able to set her own pace. Sheldon liked any position as long as it made her whimper and twitch.

His hands found their way to her soft skin and his mouth searched hers as they moved together effortlessly. Sheldon never thought he would find rhythm, but once he and Evelyn began having sex, he found they were perfectly synced. He didn't believe much in fate, but it did seem like he and Evelyn fit together perfectly.

They took their time and came several minutes apart. After, they didn't move and just sat on Sheldon's spot, Evelyn still securely on his lap, with their arms wrapped around each other.

Eventually, Evelyn pulled away to look at Sheldon. He saw a look in her eye he had not seen before and it puzzled him. She looked like she had something important to say. "Sheldon," she began. "I think I-"

But she was cut off by the sound of the key turning in the lock and Penny and Leonard's raised voices. There was no time to detach from each other, let alone put on clothes.

"There you go again! This is the second time you've called me stupid!" Penny was snapping at Leonard.

"I did not call you stupid! How many times-" Leonard said, before he caught sight of Evelyn and Sheldon in their precarious situation.

"Oh God!" Penny and Leonard exclaimed, turning away from their friends.

"Really?" Leonard asked.

"I will not apologize for giving my body what it wants," Sheldon said, as Evelyn buried her face in his neck in embarrassment.

**OoOoO**

She was humming again. Evelyn used to hum all the time before she met Ken. She hadn't for awhile, but she had started shortly after she and Sheldon had been dating for awhile.

Evelyn was currently in her apartment working on a recipe for peanut brittle. On the television she was playing the second season of _Battlestar Galactica_, which Sheldon had bought her several days before. In all honestly, she didn't really care for the show all that much, but she watched it because Sheldon loved it. He would be heart broken if she didn't watch all the episodes, plus commentary.

By the time she had finished the first couple of episodes, her first batch of brittle was done and cooled. Turning off the television and DVD player, Evelyn grabbed the tray and, humming, made her way out of her apartment. She had promised the guys and Penny they could taste test the first batch.

As she was locking the door behind her, she saw movement out of the corner of her eyes. Spinning around, she screamed and dropped the tray.

"Hey, Honey," Ken said with an evil grin. He was resting against the wall opposite her apartment. "Did you miss me?"

Evelyn felt the tears well up in her eyes. "No!" she practically screamed. "What are you doing here? Just stay away from me!"

"Come on, Doll," Ken said, crossing the hallway towards her. Evelyn was frozen in her spot. She was pressed against the door of her, now locked, apartment. "You didn't even have the decency to leave me a note. Do you know what I gave up to track you down?"

Evelyn felt hot anger flow through her like never before. "What YOU gave up?" she asked, angrily. "I gave up my whole LIFE for you! My dreams! Even when I left you I had to give up everything I knew! I can't even visit my parents' graves because of you! I had to move across the United States just to get away from you!"

Ken rolled his eyes and closed the distance between them. He was just inches away from her now. "Come off it," he snapped. "They weren't even your biological parents. And let's be honest, you will never get away from me. We are meant to be together, Evvie." He reached out to move the hair out of her eyes.

Evelyn jerked away and slapped him. "Don't you ever call me, Evvie! I want nothing to do with you! Or did you not get the restraining order? You're a selfish pig! Now get away from me!" She shoved him as hard as she could, but it didn't do much.

Ken glared and grabbed her by the wrists. "You are going to be my wife, damn it!" he snarled. "Or are you too busy slutting it up to that tall, skinny freak I always seeing you walking around with."

When he insulted Sheldon, Evelyn lost it. Mustering up all of her strength, she kneed Ken in the groin. Shouting in pain, Ken threw Evelyn on the stairs. Taking advantage of his moment of weakness, Evelyn made a dash up the stairs. Halfway, Ken grabbed her ankle and took her down.

**OoOoO**

"I wonder where Evelyn is," Sheldon said, checking the time on his laptop. "She is always very prompt with her baking and she should have been finished by now."

"Then go down and see what's up," Leonard said with a shrug. He, Howard and Raj were just hanging around watching television. Suddenly, they heard a large crash and yell outside their apartment. They all stood immediately and suddenly the door flew open.

"Evelyn!" Sheldon exclaimed in shock.

His girlfriend stood in the doorway panting. She had a bruise forming around her eye and it looked as if she was having a hard time standing. "Call the police!" she gasped. "Ken-." But before she could finish, a huge man appeared behind her and grabbed her by the neck, pulling her away from the door.

They guys rushed to her aid, but they didn't get there quite fast enough.

"You whore! You're nothing without me!" Ken yelled.

The guys watched in horror as he threw Evelyn backwards. She hit the elevator doors hard, striking her head on the part where the doors met the wall, splitting the side of her forehead open.

"You bastard!" Howard yelled, taking a running start and tackling Ken around the middle, catching him off guard and taking him down for a second. Penny appeared in her doorway and seemed just as in shock as the rest of them were.

"Call 911," Leonard exclaimed to her as he and Raj ran to Evelyn's aid.

Sheldon was rooted where he stood. Evelyn was clearing losing a lot of blood and consciousness. Ken grabbed Howard by his shirt and tossed him aside as carelessly as he did Evelyn.

"You can't leave me!" Ken said. "YOU NEED ME! YOU'RE NOTHING WITHOUT ME!"

Sheldon saw the hurt and fear in Evelyn's eyes as she looked at him in defeat and he saw red. With a savage yell, Sheldon dove as Ken, wrestling him away from his girlfriend and friends with strength that he had never possessed before. They struggled for a few moments before Sheldon freed one of his arms, closed his hand into a fist and nailed Ken right in the nose.

The bigger man was taken by surprise and was actually knocked down by the blow. Penny returned to the doorway with the phone in one hand and her metal bat in the other.

"Sheldon!" she said, holding the bat towards him.

For the first time in his life, Sheldon caught something that was thrown to him. And as Ken savagely got up to charge the physicist, he swung.

The metal bat made a sickening crunch as it came in contact with Ken's jaw and there was so much force behind the hit, Ken was sent spinning before he tumbled down the stairs, landing on the middle landing. He was out cold.

Dropping the bat, Sheldon knelt next to Evelyn and the guys dispersed so that they could secure the unconscious Ken until the police came. Penny stayed on the phone with the dispatcher, urging them to send an ambulance and make it quick before she went Nebraska on Ken's unconscious ass.

"Evelyn?" he asked, as the girls' eyes began to close. "No! Stay awake. Come on! Keep your eyes open. I don't think I have told you that you have pretty eyes. So keep them open okay?"

Evelyn let out a shaky breath and nodded, but her eyes seemed to be rolling into her head. Sheldon felt himself crying, genuinely crying and he patted her cheek gently. "No, no," he said. "Stay awake. The police are coming. Recite something with me! Come on! Actinium, Aluminum, Americium, Antimony, Argon…"

"Wha-?"

"Just repeat with me, okay?"

"K-Kay…"

"Actinium."

"A-A-Actin…nium."

"Good. Aluminum."

"Luminum."

"No, A-luminum."

"A-A-luminum…Sheldon?"

"Yes, you're doing fine," Sheldon said. He heard the sound of heavy footsteps on the floor below them as the sound of multiple, authoritative voices filled the stairwell.

"W-Wanna say…just in case," Evelyn said. Her voice was growing faint and her breathing was shallower.

"Don't speak that way," Sheldon said sternly. "You are going to be okay. The police are here now. I hear the sirens. The ambulance is here.

"I love you…Sheldon," Evelyn said with a small smile. She seemed to go out for second, but Sheldon shook her and woke her back up.

"Me too, Evelyn," Sheldon said. "I love you too. Now you have to live because there are very important things we need to do together and you are of no use to me if you die."

He was relieved to see a larger smile cross her face, but he was suddenly pushed away as the paramedics arrived.

**- SIX MONTHS LATER -**

"I think the scar is finally going away," Evelyn said as she leaned close to the mirror and tried to cover the line that ran from her hairline to her temple.

"And if it doesn't, make up is a girl's best friend," Penny said, smiling as she sat on the edge of the tub, watching her friend.

It had been a long six months, but with Ken finally behind bars, Evelyn was truly free. She was seeing a therapist and had been since she had left the hospital. Her stay there had been thankfully short, but Ken had scarred her mentally far worse than he had scarred her physically. He was away for along time, however. He would not be bothering Evelyn again.

"I've got to say, Evelyn," Penny said. "I know I keep talking about it, but seeing Sheldon beat the snot out of Ken was really sexy."

Evelyn smiled fondly when Penny mentioned her boyfriend. He had been at her side every day in the hospital. He had ordered Leonard to bring his emergency duffle bag and he refused to leave her side until she was discharged. He had no problem with the fact he had broken a man's jaw and knocked him unconscious.

They didn't know where he had gotten the strength to hit Ken so hard, but they were glad he had.

"There, how do I look?" Evelyn asked as she finished applying her makeup.

"You always look adorable, Honey," Penny said. "Not go spend time with your boyfriend. We can have girl talk another night."

"Are you sure?" Evelyn asked. "Sheldon did call me out of the blue. I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I-"

"Yes he would," Penny said smiling, ushering Evelyn out of the bathroom. "And you would mind as well. We'll talk later."

"Okay," Evelyn said smiling as the two girls walked through her apartment and headed for the front door. "I'll text you tomorrow at some point then." They left the apartment and locked the door behind them.

"I'm going to check on my laundry," Penny said, heading in the opposite direction.

"Okay, see you tomorrow!"

Evelyn disappeared upstairs and Leonard came from the corner from the other stairwell. "Does she have any idea?" he asked Penny with a smile.

Penny shook her head. "Not a clue," she said. "Does he?"

"Nope, not at all."

Evelyn made it to Sheldon and Leonard's apartment and knocked absentmindedly. "Who is it?" came the sharp question.

"It's me, Babe," Evelyn said.

The door flew open and Sheldon stepped aside. "Come in," he said with a smile. Evelyn stepped in and she noticed that Sheldon seemed a bit fidgety.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Of course," Sheldon said, twitching slightly as he closed and locked the door behind her. "Would you like to join me on the couch?"

Suspicious and confused, Evelyn frowned. "Um, okay," she said, following him to the couch. They sat down and were silent. Each had something to say to each other, but they didn't know how to proceed.

"Evelyn," Sheldon said first. "There is something very important that I would like to talk to you about."

"Good, Sheldon," Evelyn said. "Because I need to talk to you too. But you go first."

"Are you sure?" Sheldon asked. "It would be a very gentleman thing to do if I let you speak your peace first."

"No, no, that's okay," Evelyn said. "You go."

"Alright then," Sheldon said. He took her hand. "Evelyn, we have not been dating for long, but you know I love you. Now, I am not one who takes change lightly, but you have fit into my life almost effortlessly. I say almost because of that whole business with Ken."

"Get to the point, Babe."

"Well, I feel that removing you from my life would not be an option at this point. We are obviously sexually compatible. You've made me feel emotions for the first time in my life."

He pulled out a ring from his pocket and got down on the floor, on one knee.

"Evelyn will you join me in the typically social convention which is known as marriage?"

To say Evelyn was stunned would be an understatement. She was flabbergasted. This was definitely not something she was expecting. Her heart fluttered in her throat and she was so happy she almost shouted 'yes'. But then she remembered her news and her heart sank. Would he still feel that way when she told him her news?

"Well?" Sheldon asked.

Evelyn took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant."

**THE END**

**OoOoO**

**A/N:** I know, I'm evil, but this was the very last chapter I had in my head from the beginning! Thank you all so much for sticking with the story! Stay tuned for the sequel which will be coming out soon! I don't have all of it written out like this one was, but I will post what I have. It just make take a lot longer for me to update that one, since I'm very busy in my final semester of college.

Please review with final thoughts!


	16. SEQUEL

**SEQUEL**

Hey Guys! The sequel to _The Female Specimen Enigma_ is up! It is called _The Life Changing, Family Expansion_!


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